Terre Haute, Ind. -- The Hatters will likely win a lot of games this season because of their potent offense. Saturday, however, was a victory that belonged to the defense.
Brianti Saunders scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as visiting Stetson defeated Indiana State 62-52 at the Hulman Center.
The Hatters held the Sycamores to just 22 second-half points to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1995.
"We were really fortunate to get a win," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. "(The Sycamores) are good, they are tough, and they are physical. Defensively, they are one of the best teams I have seen. If you don't work together, you are not going to score (against them)."
Indiana State led 30-28 at the half, but Jama Sharp's 3-pointer with 17:49 to go gave Stetson the lead for good. However, with Amber Porter and Sarah Sagerer in foul trouble, Bria called on Myeisha Hall and C.J. Coddington to help play the four and five spots. The pair combined for 16 defensive rebounds and helped draw three offensive fouls against Indiana State.
"Myeisha grabbed a couple of key rebounds and putbacks, and C.J. did a great job on their post kid," Bria said. "I was really pleased with our effort and how we stuck together."
Hall finished with seven points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Coddington scored eight points and picked up six defensive boards.
"Offense sells tickets but defense wins games," Coddington said. "We had to lock down and defend. They are a great team, so it was a real challenge for us."
Offensively, Saunders had another strong second half, helping push the Stetson lead past two possessions. She scored 11 of her 18 points after the break including a 3-pointer with 8:31 to go that gave Stetson a seven-point advantage.
"Brianti hit a big 3 and she had a drive to the basket," Bria said. "I thought that 3 was a big key to the game because it gave us a little bit of a cushion. She was terrific, she really was."
Despite the foul trouble, Porter scored 11 points with five rebounds and two blocks. Sharp, playing in front of a large hometown crowd, added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Sagerer and DeAsia Beal scored four points apiece.
Stetson shot 43 percent for the game and held Indiana State to only 30 percent. They Sycamores made just eight field goals in the final 20 minutes.
"I felt like in the first half, (Indiana State) took us out of everything we wanted to do, and I didn't think our defense was very good," Bria said. "In the second half, we adjusted to pressure and got better. The biggest thing was defensively we got better. We started to get stops and get run outs and a couple of easy baskets. I felt like that really helped us."
Stetson will head to Waco, Texas next week to participate in the three-day, three-game BTI Classic. The Hatters will face Marist at 6 p.m. Friday, Baylor at 1 p.m. Saturday, and Utah State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Notes: The Hatters have won 29 straight games when holding opponents to 55 points or less ... Stetson is holding opponents to 54.0 points per game ... Jama Sharp recorded her 200th career steal ... Indiana State was the college basketball home of NBA legend Larry Bird and former Stetson women's basketball head coach Dee Romine ... After the game, Indiana State head coach Joey Wells said, "Stetson, that's a really good team. I will be shocked if we don't see them win their conference and play in the NCAA tournament."
