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 Sunday afternoon.
Indiana State fell to 3-11 overall and 1-2 in the MVC with the loss while
Evansville won on the road for the first time this season, improving to 10-3
overall and 2-1 in the MVC.
Evansville senior Shy Ely scored
12 of the Purple Aces final 18 points to rally the visitors from a 10-point
halftime deficit to post the win. Ely finished with 24 points after having just
four in the first half.
ISU
junior Harry Marshall led the battle for the Sycamores, scoring 16 points in
the game, 11 in the second half. Aaron Carter had 11 points for Indiana State as well.
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 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, three by Isiah Martin and a
Carter deuce that put ISU up 31-21 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
cut the deficit to three, 44-41, on six points from Nate Garner and an Ely free
throw.
ISU's
Carl Richard pushed the Sycamores up by six, 47-41, scoring off an assist from
Martin with 9:15 left. Richard was
fouled on the play and made the charity toss. 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.
Marshall put ISU back on top
with a driving layup with 6:06 remaining but Ely tied
it, then Marshall put ISU up only to
have Ely tie it up again at 51. After ISU's Reed and Carter each hit a free
throw, Ely tied the game for the fourth time at 53 off an offensive rebound.
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 big enough to stem the
momentum building up for the Purple Aces as Evansville 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.
ISU
shot 50 percent for the game on 23-for-46 shooting. The Sycamore squad was just 9-for-16 from the
free throw line including 5-for-10 in the second half. Evansville shot just 36 percent
in the game on 22-for-61 shooting.
However, they went 21-for-27 from the charity stripe and tallied 14 of
those free throws in the second half.
The
Sycamores will be on the road Wednesday night as they visit Drake in an 8:05 p.m. tip off at the Knapp Center.
