TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? Home court advantage is talked about quite often in college basketball as being a key factor in a team's success. Whether or not that is true, the adage seems to hold true for Indiana State (8-5, 3-0 MVC) as the Sycamores improved to a perfect 7-0 at home at the Hulman Center this season with a 74-56 victory over the Northern Iowa Panthers (10-4, 2-1 MVC) on Saturday night.
The win improved the Sycamores to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play, something the team has not done since the 2000-01 season, and extended the team's winning streak to four games. The lopsided win over the Panthers was also the highest for ISU in a Valley game since the 2003-04 season.
The game was tied 2-2 early, but ISU jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead after senior Gabe Moore connected from three-point range with 15:50 left in the first half. That lead would eventually grow to as much as 12 points after freshman Isiah Martin connected on a jumper to put the Sycamores up 14-2 at the 12:59 mark. UNI scored the next four points to cut the lead to eight at 14-6 and a three-pointer from Adam Koch brought the Panthers within seven points at 16-9 at the 10:47 mark.
The Sycamores then jumped out to a 13-2 run to balloon the lead to 18 points at 29-11 with 6:34 left in the first half. Back-to-back three pointers from sophomore Harry Marshall ignited the run, while sophomore Marico Stinson and junior Jay Tunnell also got in the mix by each hitting a three-pointer of their own during the outburst.
After a tip-in by Eric Coleman ended the UNI scoring drought, ISU continued to pour on the offense by extending the lead to 24 points after a three-pointer by Tunnell made the score 41-17 with 2:26 left in the half. The Panthers fought back at the end of the half to cut the lead to 18 points at 41-23 with 43 seconds left and headed to the locker with a large deficit.
The second half started much like the first one for the Sycamores, as ISU went on a 12-5 run to begin the half and widen their lead to 25 on another three-pointer by Stinson. Later in the half, a three-pointer by freshman Lamar Lee extended the ISU lead to 27 points at 58-31 with 13:08 left in the game. The Panthers tried to claw back into the game and cut the lead to 19 points after a three-pointer by Jon Montgomery made the score 58-39.
From there, ISU kept the lead around 20 points for the rest of the half. UNI cut the lead to 16 points on another three by Montgomery, but the Sycamores finished the game strong and secured the 74-56 victory. ISU finished the game with 13 three-pointers, the most since the team connected for 17 against Drake last season.
Tunnell finished with a game-high 19 points and added four rebounds for the Sycamores. Stinson also finished in double figures with 13 points, while Moore added seven points, eight rebounds and seven assists. UNI had three players in double figures, led by Coleman's 13 points and four rebounds.
The Sycamores return to action on Wednesday, January 9, when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on the Drake Bulldogs. Game time is set for 8:05 p.m. EST at the Knapp Center.
