TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Kevin McKenna era in Indiana State basketball got off to a strong start on Friday night, as the Sycamores cruised to a 78-45 win over Division II Oakland City. ISU (1-0) led by as much as 37 points at one point over OCU (0-1) to earn its first win of the season in front of 3,713 fans at the Hulman Center.
ISU got out to a quick start, as back-to-back threes from freshman Aaron Carter put the Sycamores up 9-0 early in the first half. Oakland City's Mervyn Clark quickly cut into lead, scoring two buckets to make the score 9-4. The lead would eventually grow to double digits when sophomore Marico Stinson connected from 3-point range to bring the score to 22-12 with 8:05 left on the clock. The lead would never drop below ten points for the rest of the half and Stinson's jumper with 52 seconds left on the clock widened the lead to 38-20, which is where the score stayed as the teams headed to the locker rooms at halftime.
The start of the second half saw Indiana State jump out to a 23-point lead at 53-30 after freshman Lamar Lee connected from beyond the arch. Oakland City fought to get back in the game, as Darius Clark stole the ball from Marshall at half court and took it down the floor for the wide open layup to cut the lead to 53-33 with 11:16 left in the game. However, that would be as close as the Mighty Oaks would get as the Sycamores went on a 16-0 run, capped off by Stinson's third three of the game to blow, the game open at 70-33 with 6:48 left on the clock. Oakland City outscored Indiana State 12-8 over the last six minutes, but the Sycamores were too tough throughout the night and secured the 78-45 victory.
Indiana State was strong on both ends of the floor, as the offense shot 46.2 percent from the field on the night, including 60 percent from beyond the arch in the second half. The Sycamores also forced 22 turnovers from the Mighty Oaks on the defensive end, which led to 35 of the team's 78 points.
Stinson led the way for ISU in the victory with 15 points, nine of which came from 3-point range, and six assists. Cole Holmstrom and Jay Tunnel also scored in double figures for the Sycamores, with 12 and 10 points respectively. Cox was the only player in double figures for the Mighty Oaks with 11 points.
The Sycamores return to action on Wednesday, November 14, when they travel to Indianapolis to face the talented Butler Bulldogs. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
