MONROE, La. -- For the first time since the 2005-06 campaign, the Sycamores have won each of their first two games of the season, including their road opener as ISU earned a 71-59 victory over Louisiana-Monroe in front of 1,236 fans at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The Sycamores improved to 2-0 on the season while ULM falls to 0-2.
Carl Richard led the Sycamores with a 15-point, 10 rebound performance for his first double-double of the season. Joining Richard in double figures were Jake Odum who had 13 points (11 in the second half) and Jordan Printy scored 13.
The Sycamores limited ULM to just 36.8 percent shooting, despite the fact the Warhawks hit each of their first six 3-pointers in the second half. ISU shot 45 percent from the field, and were 8-of-20 from long range. The Sycamores won the rebounding battle for the second consecutive game.
Additionally, Indiana State has now won each of their last four road games dating back to last season and extended a streak of road victories over members of the Sun Belt Conference to three games, including a pair of road wins over Western Kentucky and Arkansas State in 2009.
Printy took over third place on ISU's all-time career list with his second 3-pointer of the game with 16:56 left in the second half to give the Sycamores a 40-31 advantage. ISU's cushion shrunk to just 40-36 on a quick 5-0 run by Louisiana-Monroe which was answered by a pair of free throws from Steve McWhorter with 15:39 on the clock to stretch the lead out to 42-36. ULM would make five of their first six shots in the second half to make it 42-39 on a 3-pointer by Trey Lindsey. Carl Richard countered with a hook shot in the paint at the 14:59 mark to make it 44-39.
Odum then made a steal after the Richard bucket and a ULM timeout to make it 46-39. the Sycamores got another stop and Richard scored in the paint again to make it 48-39 at the 13:40 mark to complete a quick 6-0 Sycamore run.
Walker scored in the paint with 12:54 left in the contest as the Sycamores matched their largest lead of the game at 50-40, but ULM hit back-to-back 3-pointers to creep back into the contest at 50-46 with 11:47 remaining in the game. The Warhawk run reached eight points on a lay-up by Hugh Mingo with 10:50 on the clock to make it a 50-48 score.
Richard stopped the bleeding with a pair of free throws for a 52-48 advantage before a Charles Winborne 3-pointer cut the ISU lead down to 52-51. ULM opened the second half by hitting each of their first six 3-point attempts. Walker and Odum countered with lay-ups on the Sycamores' next two possessions to stretch the lead out to 56-51. The lay-ups sandwhiched an acrobatic blocked shot and defensive rebound by Richard.
A conventional 3-point play by Fred Brown with 8:17 remaining made it 56-54, but Odum was able to answer with a driving lay-up to make it 58-54 as the clock ticked under eight minutes to go. ISU forced a defensive stop and then Printy hit his third 3-pointer of the night with seven minutes left as the Sycamore lead snuck back out to 61-54.
The Sycamore run reached seven consecutive points on a jumper in the paint by Richard with 6:04 on the clock and give the Trees a 63-54 advantage. Richard pulled down a defensive rebound at the 5:09 mark as posted his first double-double of the season. Odum went on to hit two free throws at the 4:14 mark as ISU achieved a 65-54 advantage -- its largest lead of the game. Odum's free throws capped a 9-0 Sycamore run.
Printy scored in transition and then McWhorter converted a long jump shot as the ISU lead stretched out to 69-57 at the 2:20 mark.
Steve McWhorter started off the scoring for the Sycamores with a long jump shot just 50 seconds into the contest for a quick 2-0 advantage. Printy added a 3-pointer with 18:09 left before the half for a 5-0 lead. That triple tied Printy with Travis Inman for third on ISU's all-time list with 154 career 3-pointers.
Indiana State achieved its largest lead of the first half at 20-10 on a 3-pointer by Lucas Eitel with 11:34 on the clock before the break. Eitel would hit a pair of treys in the opening stanza.
At the 1:53 mark in the first half, Marcelis Hansberry converted a conventional 3-point play to make it 29-24. Eitel hit his second 3-pointer to stretch the lead out to 32-24 with 1:39 on the clock, before Hansberry converted another jumper and Odum connected on a driving lay-up with 37 seconds left on the clock to give ISU a 34-26 lead heading into the locker room.
Richard and Dwayne Lathan led ISU with 7 points in the first half while Eitel scored 6.
ULM was led in scoring by 15 points from Fred Brown.
Indiana State returns home for its next two games, including a tilt on Friday, November 18 against in-state rival Ball State. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m. (ET) and will be the first game of a doubleheader also featuring the women's basketball team against Chattanooga in the consolation round of the Preseason WNIT.
