Indiana State (4-13, 2-4 MVC) at Evansville (11-5, 3-3 MVC)
January 17, 2009 ► 8:05 p.m. ET ► Evansville, Ind. ► Roberts Stadium (11,600)
Game Day Central
Series: Indiana State Leads 75-73
Streak: ISU Won Last 2 Of 3 Games
Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Play-By-Play: Brian Fritz
Analyst: Matt Renn
Internet: GoSycamores.com
Storylines
Indiana State (4-13, 2-4 MVC) will wrap up its season series with in-state rival Evansville (11-5, 3-3 MVC) on Saturday night at Roberts Stadium. Tip off is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.
The Sycamores will be to avenge a 65-59 loss on January 4 to the Purple Aces, who trailed for nearly 38 minutes of the game before coming back to earn the road victory. ISU will wrap up the series this year with their rivals from the south before playing a single game against Wichita State, Missouri State, or Southern Illinois this season.
ISU is coming off a 63-52 loss to the visiting Bradley Braves on Tuesday night at Hulman Center. The team struggled from the field, shooting just 34 percent for the game and just 29.2 percent from the field in the first half.
Junior guard Rashad Reed led a quartet of Sycamores in double figures with 12 points, four assists and four rebounds. Senior forward Jay Tunnell added eleven points and four rebounds for ISU and sophomore guard Aaron Carter and freshman guard Jordan Printy added ten points each.
The Purple Aces are coming off a 58-47 defeat at the hands of UNI on Tuesday night. The loss snapped a 10-game home court winning streak at Roberts Stadium for the Aces.
The Panthers held Evansville to just 18 field goals in 55 attempts for a season-low 33 percent shooting during the game.
Senior Nate Garner led UE with 12 points, and freshmen Kaylon Williams and Denver Holmes chipped in 11 each in the loss. MVC scoring leader Shy Ely was held to a season-low seven points, more than 10 below his average.
Indiana State leads the all-time series between the two schools 75-73, with the series dating back to the 1920-21 season. Indiana State swept the season series last year against the Aces, with wins at Roberts Stadium and at the Hulman Center. Prior to those wins, the Sycamores had dropped four-straight decisions to their rivals from the south.
ISU's win at Roberts Stadium snapped a three-game losing streak in Evansville, where the Sycamores have posted a record of 27-47 against the Purple Aces all-time.
About The Coaches
Kevin McKenna (Creighton ?93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (19-29). In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center. McKenna came to Indiana State after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton under head coach Dana Altman, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Marty Simmons (Evansville ?87) is in his 2nd season as the head coach at Evansville (20-26) and his eighth overall as a collegiate head coach (118-99). Simmons was one of the best basketball players in UE history, leading the Purple Aces to a conference championship in 1987 and to the second round of the 1988 NIT. As an assistant coach at UE under Jim Crews in the 1990s, he helped lead Evansville to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to his return, Simmons was head coach for five years at Division II Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he took over a program that had not won 10 games since 1999 and led the Cougars to 23 wins in 2005 and 25 in 2006.
Scouting The Purple Aces
► The University of Evansville is located in Evansville, Ind., and has an enrollment of 2,434 students. The Purple Aces are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at Roberts Stadium (11,600).
► The Purple Aces finished with an overall record of 9-21 during the 2007-08 season. In conference play, Evansville posted a 3-15 record which placed the Purple Aces 10th in the league standings. Their season ended with a 69-46 loss to Missouri State in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis.
► Senior leadership has been a big reason for Evansville's turnaround this season. The Aces' three seniors -- Shy Ely, Jason Holsinger and Nate Garner -- are also the team's top three in minutes played and points per game. Ely (16.9 ppg), Holsinger (12.7) and Garner (9.8) pace the Evansville offense and each averages over 28 minutes played per game
► Evansville (11-5, 3-3 MVC) is coming off a 58-47 loss at home on Tuesday night against Northern Illinois. Nate Garner led the way for the Aces with 12 points and give rebounds, while Kaylon Williams and Denver Holmes each chipped in with 11 points.
Last Time Against The Purple Aces
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Indiana State Sycamores dominated the first half but could not contain the Evansville Purple Aces in the final 20-minute stretch as Evansville rallied for a 65-59 Missouri Valley Conference victory in the Hulman Center.
The Sycamores took the lead early in the contest, scoring on their second possession of the game on a 15-footer from the left side by Aaron Carter, who was fouled and made the charity toss for a 3-0 ISU advantage. Evansville's James Haarsma scored 15 seconds later to cut the deficit to one, but Indiana State answered on buckets by Brant Leitnaker and Jay Tunnell to extend their lead to 7-2.
Marshall converted on a traditional three-point play with 14:11 left to ignite a 14-3 Sycamore run that expanded Indiana State's lead to 23-9 after a Rashad Reed trey with 7:24 left. The Indiana State defense gave up just three free throws to the Purple Aces during the seven minute run as Evansville missed nine shots from the field.
The Purple Aces did manage a 10-1 run late in the half to cut the Indiana State lead to 26-21, but the Sycamores responded with the final five points to secure a 31-21 lead at the break.
Indiana State maintained the advantage through the first five minutes of the second half and was able to go up 40-28 with 15:35 remaining after Carter made one-of-two free throws. Evansville reeled off six straight points, but Carter came through with an eight-foot jumper to stop the run and put ISU on top 42-34 with 10:34 left. The Purple Aces later cut the deficit to three, 44-41, on six points from Nate Garner and an Ely free throw.
Evansville continued to claw their way back behind the work of Ely and Garner, scoring six straight points to tie the game at 47 with 6:25 left. With the score tied at 53-53, the Sycamores got a little breathing room when Tunnel connected on a trey with 4:10 left to put ISU up 56-53. That breath was not big enough to stem the momentum building up for the Purple Aces, as they came back to take their first lead of the game, 57-56, on an Ely bucket off another offensive rebound. One more Ely bucket and two Jason Holsinger free throws put Evansville on top 61-58 with 21 seconds left and Indiana State could not catch up as Evansville earned a 65-59 come from behind victory.
McKenna To Go Barefoot For Samaritan's Feet
Indiana State basketball head coach Kevin McKenna will coach his team's game against Southern Illinois on January 21 barefoot in order to raise awareness for Samaritan's Feet, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives through Shoes of Hope distributions around the world. In conjunction with Samaritan's Feet, McKenna and countless other coaches across the country have set a goal of raising one million shoes to be distributed in both the United States and overseas.
Cutter Makes His Return
Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter returned to the lineup after missing six games due to an ankle injury and played 13 minutes, recording a rebound and an assist against Bradley on Tuesday night at Hulman Center. Cutter suffered the injury in practice prior to the team's game Dec. 23 at IUPUI.
Extra Time Pays Dividends
Indiana State is no stranger to winning games in overtime, as seen in the team's thrilling 75-70 win over Illinois State. In fact, the Sycamores have won their last five games in a row when needing extra time including a perfect 4-0 mark under head coach Kevin McKenna. All four of those wins have come against Valley opponents as well, with wins over Southern Illinois (2 OT) and Wichita State last year and a win at UNI (2 OT) and against Illinois State this season. That last time ISU lost in overtime was on Dec. 2, 2006, when ISU dropped a 73-70 decision to in-state rival Ball State under head coach Royce Waltman.
Spreading The Wealth
The Sycamores needed help from everyone on the floor in order to pull out a 75-70 win in overtime against Illinois State. In all, six Indiana State players scored in double figures marking the first time since 1999 a Sycamore team had achieved that feat. Jordan Printy (15 pts.), Carl Richard (14 pts.), Harry Marshall (12 pts.), Aaron Carter and Rashad Reed (11 pts. Each) and Jay Tunnell (10 pts.) all chipped in double figures to help the Sycamores to their second conference win of the season on Saturday against the Redbirds. The last six-pack of Sycamores who scored in double figures included Matt Renn (16 pts.), Matt Broermann (15 pts.), Kelyn Block (13 pts.), Michael Menser (11 pts.) and Nate Green and Terence Avery (10 pts. each) against Montana State at the Top Of The World Classic on Nov. 20, 1999, in Fairbanks, Alaska.
What A Difference A Game Makes
Freshman Jordan Printy struggled in his home state against Drake last Wednesday, as he finished the game 0-for-8 from the field against the Bulldogs. However, the Marion, Iowa, native bounced back well last Saturday against Illinois State, tying a career high with 15 points on a perfect shooting night for the Sycamores. Printy finished 4-for-4 from the field, including a 3-for-3 effort from three point range, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Double Trouble
Freshman Carl Richard's rebounding numbers have steadily increased throughout the season, but his scoring output improved for the Sycamores in two games last week. The Chicago, Ill., native averaged a double-double for the week with 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while playing an average of 31.5 minutes per contest. On Wednesday at Drake, Richard tallied 11 points and eight rebounds against the Bulldogs in 27 minutes of action. He added to that performance on Saturday against the Redbirds, when he recorded his second career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to help the Sycamores to their second conference win of the season.
Crashing The Boards
The Sycamores have struggled getting rebounds at times throughout the season, but that was not the case in two games last week. Indiana State won the battle on the boards against Drake on Wednesday 41-28, which helped the team score 15 second-chance points. The Sycamores followed that up by out-rebounding Illinois State on Saturday at Hulman Center 38-33. ISU has now out-rebounded their Valley in three of the team's five conference games, including both games on the road.
Missed It By That Much
Senior Jay Tunnell has been one of the Sycamores most consistent scorers and rebounders this season, as he is averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. On Wednesday against Drake, Tunnell just missed out on his fifth career double-double as he grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds but tallied just nine points for the Sycamores. Then, on Saturday against Illinois State, Tunnell just missed out again with 10 points and nine rebounds against the Redbirds. Tunnell had two double-double performances as a junior during the 2007-08 season and two during his sophomore campaign in 2006-07.
Martin Takes A Bite Out Of The Bulldogs
Sophomore Isiah Martin has struggled at times offensively this season, but he showed his scoring ability last Wednesday against Drake. Martin led the way for the Sycamores with a game-high 12 points, including a stretch in which he scored four consecutive buckets for the Sycamores.
Blocks-A-Plenty Against The Aces
The long arms of Indiana State's post defenders were busy on Sunday against Evansville, as the Sycamores racked up 11 blocked shots against their in-state rivals from the south. The 11 blocks by the Sycamores were just one short of the team's single-game record of 12, which was set in 1984 against SIU-Edwardsville. Forward Isiah Martin, who led the Missouri Valley Conference last season in blocked shots with 59, had a season-high five swats to lead the way while center Brant Leitnaker chipped in with two of his own. Forward Jay Tunnell, center Josh Crawford and guards Rashad Reed and Jordan Printy each added a block apiece to round out the defensive effort for the Sycamores against the Aces.
Shutting Down The Three
Evansville came to the Hulman Center on Sunday averaging 71.2 points per game and nearly four three-pointer per contest. However, the Sycamores shut down the Purple Aces' scoring from the perimeter, as Evansville finished 0-for-6 from three-point range against the Sycamores. It marked the first time all season the Sycamores had held an opponent without a made three-pointer and it was the first time Evansville did not connect on a trey in 13 games this season. Sharpshooter Jason Holsinger was 0-for-4 from three-point land for the Aces, while Shy Ely and Kaylon Williams each missed on their only attempts of the day.
Leitnaker Earns First Career Start
Redshirt sophomore center Brant Leitnaker has battled injuries throughout his time at Indiana State and has played in just 18 games in three years on campus. However, his size in the post was needed against Northern Iowa and the Lancaster, Ohio, native was put into the starting lineup for the first time in his career to match up with UNI big man Jordan Eglseder. Leitnaker scored the team's first two points of the game, which turned out to be his only of the contest, and grabbed a rebound in 14 minutes of action. In addition, he helped hold the 7-foot-1 Eglseder to just four points in 18 minutes of action after coming in averaging a team-high 12.6 per game.
McKenna Remains Unbeaten In Valley Openers
In each of his two seasons on the bench at Indiana State, head coach Kevin McKenna's teams have opened Missouri Valley Conference play on the road. In those two contests, the Sycamores have earned big wins in both after the Sycamores defeated Northern Iowa in double overtime 85-84 on Sunday in Cedar Falls. Last season, ISU opened Valley play with a 70-56 win at Evansville on Dec. 29 to pick up its lone conference road win of the season.
Double Overtime ... No Sweat
Indiana State's 85-84 double-overtime win at Northern Iowa was its second such win in two seasons. Last year, the Sycamores defeated Southern Illinois 64-62 in double overtime on Jan. 12 at the Hulman Center thanks to a 3-pointer by Marico Stinson.
JP For Three
Redshirt freshman Jordan Printy had a breakout day against IUPUI at Conseco Fieldhouse, connecting on a career-high five three pointers to finish with 15 points. The Marion, Iowa, native was 5-for-7 from beyond the arch in the game and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in a career-high 25 minutes of action against the Jaguars. Printy's previous career high was eight points, which he set earlier this season against Murray State.
Kentucky Brings Out The Best In Cutter, Leitnaker
Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter and sophomore center Brant Leitnaker enjoyed playing over the weekend at the Marques Maybin Classic, as both set new career highs on the historic floor of Freedom Hall. Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes of action. He followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season. Leitnaker also had a career effort against Louisville, as he scored a career-high nine points while tying his career high with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action against the Cardinals.
Dialed In From Long Distance
Against Murray State, the Sycamores made a season-high 12 three-pointers score 36 of the team's 61 total points. Redshirt freshman Keenan Barlow led the way with a 3-for-4 effort to end up with a career-high 11 points, while fellow redshirt freshman Jordan Printy, senior Jay Tunnell, junior Rashad Reed and sophomore Aaron Carter each added two treys against the Racers.
Honoring A True Sycamore Legend
Prior to the start of lSU's first exhibition game against Albion College, the floor at Hulman Center will officially be named the Nellie and John Wooden Court in honor of the legendary coach and his late wife, Nellie. Prior to achieving legendary success as the head coach at UCLA, Wooden began his collegiate coaching career and served two years as head men's basketball coach, baseball coach and athletics director at Indiana State from 1946 to 1948. While earning his master's degree at Indiana State, he compiled a 44-15 record as basketball coach while leading the Sycamores to post-season tournament appearances each year and two conference championships. In addition, coach Wooden will also be inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletics Hall of Fame in March
