TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? In their final regular-season contest, the Indiana State Sycamores (10-20, 7-11 MVC) sent off lone senior Jay Tunnell in the best way possible as they defeated Missouri State (11-19, 3-15 MVC) for the second time this year by a final score of 69-52.
It was only fitting that Tunnell started off this afternoon's match up by scoring the first bucket of the game and then followed that up with another long two-pointer from the left wing. Tunnell, after taking a charge on the other end of the floor, found Aaron Carter the next time down the court who drained a three-pointer to make it a 7-6 Sycamore ballgame with under 17 minutes to play.
After Missouri State went up by one following a jumper, Harry Marshall went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line to put the Sycamores back up by one at 9-8 with 16:00 showing on the clock. Shortly after a media timeout, Josh Crawford made his seventh career three-pointer to put Indiana State up by two, 12-10.
Wade Knapp gave the visitors back the lead at 13-12 when he made good on a three-point play after being fouled by Tunnell, but still managed to sink the jumper and knock down the ensuing free-throw. Tunnell then tied the game at 13-all after making 1-for-2 from the charity stripe, but Justin Fuehrmeyer converted his first three-point attempt of the game to give the Bears the lead at 16-13 with about 11 minutes to go in the first half.
Indiana State struggled early in the rebounding category as the Bears held an 11-2 advantage on the boards at one point that allowed Missouri State to go up 18-13. Marshall knocked down a short jumper in the lane that brought the Sycamores within three at 18-15 with 8:30 showing on the clock. With the shot clock winding down, Carter brought his team within one when he drove to the lane past several Bear defenders and kissed the ball off the glass with just a second left to shoot. On their next possession, Tunnell gave Indiana State the lead back with six minutes to go when he sunk another two free-throws for a 19-18 Sycamore advantage.
Carl Richard scored his first three points of the game on a trey from the left corner that knotted the game up at 22 with 4:43 remaining, the seventh tie in the contest. The Bears then went on a 7-0 scoring run over the next two minutes to give them a 29-22 lead, the largest for either team thus far. The Sycamores ended the scoring drought at the 1:54 mark when Marshall added two free-throws to bring Indiana State within five at 29-24.
Carter gave Hulman Center some life when he sunk an acrobatic shot with his back to the basket while being fouled to cut the lead to 29-26. On ISU's next possession, Richard forced the visitors to call a timeout after he nailed another three-pointer to tie the game for the eighth time at 29-29 with 38 seconds to play in the first half. Missouri State's Fuehrmeyer, who finished with a team-leading eight points in the first half, put his squad up by three when he finished a three-point play with just ten seconds remaining to give the Bears a 32-29 lead. It looked as if that would be the end of the first half scoring, but Carter put in a quick layup at the buzzer off a missed Jordan Printy three-pointer to make the halftime score 32-31 in favor the Bears.
Knapp started off the second-half scoring with a short jumper for MSU, but Tunnell outdid him on the other end by taking him to the hoop, sinking the basket, and converting the free throw for the traditional three-point play. Tunnell then followed that with a three-pointer from the top of the key on the next possession to give Indiana State a 37-34 lead.
Marshall followed with a two-point bucket in the lane and later brought the crowd to their feet when he made a steal on the other end and dribbled the length of the court to slam home a fast break dunk that to cap off a 14-0 Sycamore run. With 15:54 showing on the clock, Indiana State held a 43-34 lead.
Marshall extended that lead and sent Hulman Center into a frenzy when he drove through the entire Missouri State basketball team to bank in a layup while at the same time being fouled by Ryan Jehle for a 45-34 Sycamore advantage. Richard and Rashad Reed scored back-to-back baskets to answer two Missouri State buckets to extend their lead back to eleven at 49-38 with just about 12 minutes to go in the game. The Sycamores began to pull away at the 11:43 mark after Richard scored his third three-pointer of the game to make it a 14-point Indiana State ballgame.
The Bears would not back down, as they scored six straight points to come within eight at 52-44 with 8:49 showing on the clock.
Jordan Printy broke Indiana State's three-minute scoring drought by making his first basket of the game on a layup that was followed the next time down the court by a Richard offensive rebound and put-back. Carter and Richard then made consecutive layups to increase Indiana State's lead to 16 at 60-44 with under six minutes to go.
Richard, who had a career-high game with 20 points, came out of a timeout by draining yet another three-pointer to put the Sycamores up by 19 points, 63-44. Missouri State was unable to make a comeback, as the Sycamores sent them packing by a final score of 69-52 which marked the first win on Senior Day since 2000.
Indiana State finished the game on 26-for-59 shooting and put four players in double-figure scoring including Richard who tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tunnell, in his final game at home, finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Marshall and Carter chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.
Indiana State will play in the opening round of the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday , March 5, at 7:05 p.m. EST against either Wichita State, Southern Illinois, or Drake. Their opponent will be determined after the completion of tonight's other MVC contests.
