Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Indiana State led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Iowa came back and went on to earn a 68-52 victory over the Sycamores in the opening round of the 2013 National Invitation Tournament.
The Sycamores season ends with an 18-15 mark for the second consecutive season. Iowa will move to on to Round of 16 with a record of 22-12.
Justin Gant paced the Sycamores with 16 points in the contest. He added three rebounds in the contest.
The Sycamores hit 19-of-50 shots from the field, while Iowa 22-of-57. The Hawkeyes had 11 second chance points on 17 offensive rebounds.
Indiana State and RJ Mahurin jumped right out on the Hawkeyes as he scored the first six points of the game to stake the Sycamores to a 6-0 advantage. After an Odum steal, a long pass to Arop netted a fastbreak lay-up to give the Sycamores an 8-3 advantage nearly three minutes into the contest.
The Hawkeyes would go on to score eight of the next nine points in the game to reclaim the lead at 11-9 until the 11:00 mark on a Gant jumper to knot the game and then Gant hit a lay-up 20 seconds later to help the Sycamores to a 13-11 cushion. Gant hit a pair of free throws as the clock ticked under 10 minutes to go as he scored six in a row and ISU led 15-11.
After a Dawon Cummings steal and fastbreak lay-up staked ISU to a 17-11 lead and an 8-0 run, Iowa scored one bucket but the Sycamores answered with one by Gant and ISU led 19-13 with just under eight minutes remaining before the half.
The two teams traded 3-point plays as Iowa got a conventional one but Odum answered with one from long distance with 5:09 remaining to reestablish a 26-18 lead but Iowa scored five in a row and ISU countered with a lay-up from Devonte Brown as the clock ticked under four minutes to make it 28-23.
Iowa scored the next six points in a row to take a 29-28 lead on a pair of Eric May free throws with 1:51 on the clock. Gant got back to the charity stripe at the 1:30 mark and reached double figures scoring while giving the Sycamores a 30-29 lead. Iowa got a dunk with 1:06 remaining and Brandon Burnett missed a 3-pointer at the horn as the Hawkeyes owned a 31-30 advantage at the break.
The Hawkeyes scored 16 of the first 20 points in the second half as the Sycamores only got a pair of Justin Gant baskets over the first seven minutes and Iowa ran out to a 47-34 advantage.
Brandon Burnett hit a pair of free throws with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest which got ISU to within 52-38. After an Iowa score, Burnett scored again with a driving lay-up which cut the Hawkeye advantage down to 54-40 with eight minutes remaining.
Gant continued his strong half by scoring his 16th point on a flush with just over six minutes left off a feed from Eitel and then Odum made a tremendous shot high off the glass with 5:30 remaining which cut the Iowa lead down to 57-44.
Devonte Brown recorded a conventional 3-point play with just under a minute remaining to cut the Iowa lead down to 65-52.
Roy Devyn Marble scored 24 points in the contest to lead Iowa.
