Blaine KinseyGoSycamores.com
TERRE
HAUTE, Ind. - Led by 22 points from junior guard Jake
Odum, Indiana State used a relentless defensive effort to hold #13 Creighton to
season lows en route to a 76-57 win in front of 8,345 fans and 1,800 students
inside Hulman Center.
The win marks the program's 1400th win and marks the highest ranked team
Indiana State has beaten in Hulman Center.
The Bluejays open the game with a pair of free throws before junior RJ Mahurin
got the Sycamores with a jumper from the middle of the lane.
Following a Creighton 3-pointer, sophomore Justin Gant drew a charge before
junior Jake Odum cut the Bluejay lead to 5-4 with a runner.
Using active defense, junior Manny Arop intercepted a Bluejay pass leading to a
fast break layup to tie the game at 7-7 with just under 16 minutes to play in
the first half. Odum then game the Sycamores their first lead of the game at
9-8 with a back door layup.
Using a 6-0 run, fueled by defense, the Sycamores extended their lead to 13-8
and forced four Creighton turnovers to zero for the Sycamores in the opening
eight minutes.
Later in the half, the Sycamores jumped out to their largest lead of the game
off a pair of Odum free throws followed by three straight Creighton turnovers
leading to a fast break 3-pointer by junior Lucas Eitel and layup by freshman
Khristian Smith and jumper by Arop to make it 26-18.
With just under two minutes to play the Sycamores jumped out to a double digit
lead at 32-22 off a Mahurin free throw. Following a Creighton basket, Arop
knocked down an open trey to make it 35-24 Indiana State with just 25 seconds
remaining in the half and carried that lead into halftime.
In the first half the Sycamores committed no turnovers while forcing 8
Creighton turnovers. The 24 points scored in the first half by the Bluejays was
also the lowest total they had scored in a half this season.
Odum led all scorers at halftime with 16 points off 5-6 shooting from the floor
while adding four assists.
Mahurin got the Sycamores going to start the second half with his fifth career
four-point play to give the Sycamores a 39-24 lead to open the half. Following
a Creighton basket, Odum hit a long jumper to move the Sycamore lead back to 15
at 43-26. Brown continued the Sycamore run with driving layup to make it 45-26
to make it a 10-2 Indiana State run to open the half.
With just under 16 minutes left to play the Sycamores extend their lead to 21
at 48-27 off a Mahurin 3-pointer off an Odum assist.
Indiana State jumped out to its largest lead of the game at 25 at 58-33 off an
Eitel 3-pointer and 18 foot jumper by junior Dawon Cummings with just under 11
minutes left to play.
Odum became the 35th member of the 1,000 point club with the front end of a one
and one with just under nine minutes to play.
The Sycamore offense never let up as a Mahurin's third triple of the game made
it 68-42 with five minutes left to play and an Arop layup made it 70-42.
Throughout the remainder of the game the Bluejays never got closer than 21
until the final possession of the game as the Sycamores defeated the #13
Bluejays 76-57.
The 57 points was the fewest the Bluejays have scored in a game this season and
fewest overall since Feb. 7, 2012 when they scored 57 at Evansville. The
Sycamores also held national Player of the Year Candidate Doug McDermott to
just eight points and scoreless in the second half, only the second time this
season he has not reached double figures, ending a streak of 21 straight games.
Odum led three Sycamores in double figures with 22 points, five assists and
four rebounds. Mahurin added 17 points and Arop had 13 and seven rebounds.
With the win, the Sycamores are now 39-3 under head coach Greg Lansing when
they hold opponents under 63 points. The team also committed just five
turnovers which is the fewest in a game since Jan. 18, 2012 at Illinois State.
The 8,345 fans in attendance were also the most inside Hulman Center since Dec.
6, 2005 in a win over Indiana.
Indiana State will return to action Saturday when they host the Salukis of
Southern Illinois at 1 p.m.