TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Indiana State men's basketball team was glad to be home on Tuesday night after dropping two-straight games on the road. The Hulman Center and the 3,112 fans in attendance were kind to the Sycamores (2-2), as they evened their season record by defeating Northern Illinois (0-5) in a non-conference contest.
Indiana State got out to a quick start, as Adam Arnold's jumper at the 17:23 mark gave the Sycamores an early 10-3 lead. Northern Illinois came right back, though, to cut the lead to one at 11-10 on a three-point play by Darion Anderson. ISU then took over and went on a 19-8 run to widen the lead to 30-18 on an Isiah Martin tip-in with 4:43 left in the half. The Huskies answered the Sycamores' run with one of their own, as NIU finished the half on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to just one at halftime at 32-31.
The second half started with the teams battling for position. Four points from Gabe Moore and a three-pointer from freshman Aaron Carter widened the lead to eight points at 39-31 just 1:19 into the half. The Huskies then fought back with a 7-2 run, capped off by a pair of made free-throws by Jarvis Nichols, to cut the lead down to three points at 41-38 with 15:25 left on the clock.
However, that would be as close as the Huskies would get for the rest of the game as the Sycamores took control and put the game away. Freshman Isiah Martin's dunk at the 10:14 mark put ISU up 12 and Moore followed that up with a three-pointer to widen the lead to 15 points at 60-45 with just over nine minutes left. Later in the half, Moore connected once again from beyond the arch to give ISU a 17-point advantage at 65-48, the largest of the contest.
Northern Illinois made a late charge and cut the lead to eight at 67-59 with just over two minutes left on the clock on a three-pointer by Ryan Paradise. However, the Huskies could not sustain the comeback and the Sycamores held on for a 75-65 victory.
Moore was one of four Sycamores in double-figures, as he led the team with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists at the point. Marico Stinson added 11 points, thanks to a 3-for-7 performance from behind the three-point line, while the freshmen duo of Carter and Martin each chipped in with 10 points apiece. NIU's Darion Anderson led all scorers with 23 points on the night, while Egan Grafel added 11 points for the Huskies.
The Sycamores return to action on Saturday, November 24, against IPFW at the Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET.
