Bonnie Ryan
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State men's basketball team capitalized on 49 percent shooting to record a 76-66 win over Drake Saturday afternoon. In front of 5,127 fans at Hulman Center, the Sycamores improved to 15-11 (7-8 MVC), while Drake dropped to 11-16 (6-9) on the year.
ISU was led by four players in double figures, highlighted by Rashad Reed's 18 points with three 3-pointers and a 7-for-8 effort from the free throw line, as well as five rebounds. Aaron Carter also had 17 points, and Jordan Printy finished with 12. Koang Doluony totaled 11 on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field. The Sycamores' leading rebounder was Carl Richard with nine boards.
In addition, the Sycamores had 17 assists to just three turnovers, and won the rebounding battle, 34-31. The three Sycamore turnovers are the fewest by an Indiana State basketball team since at least the 1994-95 campaign.
"I thought our guys really competed hard on both ends," Head Coach Kevin McKenna said. "Defensively we did a good job on Josh Young in the first half especially. In the second half, he got loose there for some good looks and hit some tough shots too. Defensively I think we did some really good things. I'm really proud of our team's effort. Everybody stepped up and played well and contributed."
DU's Adam Templeton nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. The Bulldogs' top scorer was Josh Young with 21 points, and Ben Simons also finished with a double-figure performance at 15 points with four rebounds.
Drake opened with a 7-0 lead on baskets from Seth Van Deest and a 3-pointer by Templeton, but Rashad Reed responded with back-to-back threes to keep the Sycamores in the mix. Another trey by Printy, along with two free throws by Reed, put ISU in the lead, 9-7. In all, Indiana State combined for seven triples over the half, and Carter (14) and Reed (10) both reached double figures in the first stanza.
With 10 minutes to go, Doluony hit a shot to go up by eight, but Drake twice brought it within three on a layup from Frank Wiseler and a three later by Templeton. Carter dropped in a triple and a charity shot, to make it a nine-point ballgame, and Isiah Martin grabbed a key rebound and popped a shot back in to extend the lead. Finally, a jumper by Carter extended the Sycamores' advantage to 38-28 heading into the locker room.
Young got DU started in the second half, but Martin maneuvered in the paint for a two-point bucket that gave ISU an 11-point lead. Three more points by Young and a three from Reece Uhlenhopp cut the contest to 40-37, followed by Richard free throws and a shot by Martin to push it back to seven in favor of Indiana State.
The Sycamores capitalized on a turnover with 13 minutes to go, giving Doluony the chance to drive in and make it 48-40. When Drake tied the game on a 9-1 run, Printy brought his team back with seven points. In that span, Doluony also hit another jumper, while Reed and Josh Crawford chipped in a pair of free throws apiece to make it 64-54. Three-pointers from Richard and Reed, coupled with three more points by Carter, gave Sycamores their biggest lead of the game at 73-58. Despite two late triples from Simons and Young, Indiana State held on for a 76-66 win over the Bulldogs.
Indiana State returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 16, hosting Bradley. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at Hulman Center.
Drake at Indiana State
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010
Postgame Press Conference
Indiana State Head Coach Kevin McKenna
Opening Statement
"I thought our guys really competed hard on both ends. Defensively we did a good job on Josh Young in the first half especially. In the second half, he got loose there for some good looks and hit some tough shots too. Defensively I think we did some really good things. I'm really proud of our team's effort. Everybody stepped up and played well and contributed."
On ISU's assist-to-turnover ratio
"We talked about that being a world record for our team. Moving the ball and creating shots for each other and staying patient - I thought there were probably under five possessions where we rushed a little bit; we took a quick shot or a contested shot, but for the most part, the guys did a super job of being patient and waiting for that open look, that open guy, skip passes, ball fakes. We got the ball in the paint a lot. Guys did a good job of executing and looking for each other."
On Aaron Carter
"I think Aaron is just a real aggressive offensive player. We decided to start him today, mainly more due to matchups than anything. We wanted to start off man, and we thought we matched up better with him starting and bring Koang off. I think both players responded very well. Aaron is a hard-nosed, tough kid and plays really hard all the time. You know you're going to get an effort from Aaron when he steps out on the floor. To see him have some success makes you feel good."
"Their matchup zone is designed to get you to try to stand around. I thought our guys did a good job of fighting that feeling. Our goal was paint touches. That's the thing we talked about the last couple of days at practice. Coach Lansing really emphasized that with his gameplan we put together. We got it in there; we got it to the high post, we got it to the low post, and we made plays from that point. I thought our guys, again, with the exception of a few possessions where we rushed some shots, did a good job of getting it in there. We also got it in there and got fouled a few times. The guys did a good job of trying to do what we asked them to do."
Senior Rashad Reed
On assist-to-turnover ratio
"That's what Coach (McKenna) had been preaching the whole time. Our last game, we gave them like 17 turnovers and three or four assists. This game, that's what Coach was talking about yesterday. You have to get into the zone and find shooters. I thought our guys did a nice job of knocking down shots today...AC (Aaron Carter) did a nice job of knocking down shots, and so did JP (Jordan Printy)."
On Drake's defense
"Actually, they were running a wide zone. Once you get the ball reversed, we got good movement. Nobody dominated the ball. Once we got the ball moving from side to side, it was just us penetrating the gaps and finding the right play. In practice, we've been getting in the gaps and finding the open man, and what you do in practice carries over. Lately, we've been trying to practice hard. We have eight guys, so there can't do too much contact. I thought today we did a good job of penetrating the open gaps and finding an open man."
Freshman Koang Doluony
On hitting all his shots
"Fortunately, I felt like early on in the season that I'd been struggling a little bit. I kind of lost confidence and got frustrated, so I talked to Coach (McKenna) a little bit. He told me to just start getting in the gym and practicing, so I've been going in the gym about 7 a.m. to get some extra shots and working on my game a little bit. I think that showed today. It's a pretty good confidence booster."
Junior Aaron Carter
On his offensive performance today
"It's a big confidence booster when you can get your first shot to go in and start shooting well. Rashad just did a good job of penetrating and kicking and trying to find me, and I was lucky enough to hit some shots."
Senior Rashad Reed
On assist-to-turnover ratio
"That's what Coach (McKenna) had been preaching the whole time. Our last game, we gave them like 17 turnovers and three or four assists. This game, that's what Coach was talking about yesterday. You have to get into the zone and find shooters. I thought our guys did a nice job of knocking down shots today...AC (Aaron Carter) did a nice job of knocking down shots, and so did JP (Jordan Printy)."
On Drake's defense
"Actually, they were running a wide zone. Once you get the ball reversed, we got good movement. Nobody dominated the ball. Once we got the ball moving from side to side, it was just us penetrating the gaps and finding the right play. In practice, we've been getting in the gaps and finding the open man, and what you do in practice carries over. Lately, we've been trying to practice hard. We have eight guys, so there can't do too much contact. I thought today we did a good job of penetrating the open gaps and finding an open man."
Drake Head Coach Mark Phelps
Opening Statement
"I thought Indiana State was terrific on offense this afternoon. They had some extremely impressive numbers...I thought they were really good on offense. They deserve some credit. I don't know how good we were on defense. I'd like to think if we play our best defensive game that our opponent won't get those types of numbers, but the results stand. They demonstrate that Indiana State had a terrific offensive game with four guys in double figures. "We tied it at 49 and took a couple of tough shots on our end while they continued to score. I think early on, they were able to knock down threes. You can't really overcome those offensive numbers on the road to win a Valley game."
On defending against Indiana State
"Seven threes in the first half created some momentum for them and a little bit of a situation where we were too attentive to the possibility of a 3-point shot. That's when I think the driving lines opened up. To their credit, they knocked down threes early - 7-for- 12 in the first half. In the back of our minds, we felt like there was another three ball coming and really didn't provide great help defense. That's when they got in the paint, and then other things started to happen for them."
On Indiana State's shooting
"In order to make the comeback like that on the road, you have to continue to get stops, and they shot 48 percent in the second half. You can't overcome a 10-point lead by allowing the opponent to shoot 48 percent.. They got 51 shots off and to also get to the free throw line 18 times, they had every offensive statistic go in their favor. To come from behind, that can't happen."
