Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana State earned its first victory in a season opener in a true road game since the 1970-71 campaign with a 79-66 victory at IUPUI in front of 3,159 fans inside the newly renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum.

The Sycamores improved to 1-0 while IUPUI fell to 0-1. 

Khristian Smith led the way with 27 points which was just one shy of a career high. Smith scored 21 points during the second half and overtime. He hit 8-of-19 shots from the field and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Devonte Brown scored a career high 19 points while Brenton Scott added 14.

The Sycamores got a defensive stop to open overtime and Devonte Brown drove to the basket for the 66-64 lead with four minutes remaining. After another stop by the Sycamores, Justin Gant was fouled near the rim to go to the line. Gant hit 1-of-2 to push the Sycamores ahead 67-64 with 3:20 on the clock. Brown then took advantage of another stop to make a brilliant move in the paint to convert the lay-up for a 69-64 cushion.

After IUPUI missed a pair of free throws, the second half Khristian Smith show continued with a jumper in the paint for the 71-64 Sycamore lead. Then after a steal, Smith found Jake Kitchell for an open lay-up with just over a minute remaining for the 73-64 lead. After another stop, Devonte Brown was fouled and he hit both for a 75-64 lead. Smith was then fouled with 46 seconds to go to push the Trees ahead 77-66.

The Sycamores outscored the Jags 15-2 in the overtime period.

With the Sycamores leading by two points, Khristian Smith came down with a big defensive rebound and was fouled in the process. With 2:13 remaining, he went over 20 points scoring with a pair of free throws and Indiana State led 59-55. On defense as the clock went under two minutes, Devonte Brown blocked a jumper and Smith came down with the rebound. A 3-pointer by Smith didn't find the roll and IUPUI answered with two points at the 1:06 mark to draw within 59-57 of the Sycamores.

Smith continued to be clutch in the second half with a twirling play in the lane for two points to push the Sycamores ahead 61-57 with 43 seconds to go. Mason Archie's 3-pointer from the corner got the Jags within a point at 61-60 with 28.1 seconds on the clock.

Playing in his first career game, Brenton Scott was fouled with 21.1 seconds left and hit both free throws to stretch the Sycamore lead out to 63-60. The Sycamores elected to foul with 8.1 seconds remaining and P.J. Boutte hit both to get IUPUI within 63-62. The Jags then fouled Devonte Brown and he hit one with 7.2 seconds remaining to put the Sycamores ahead 64-62. Marcellus Barksdale was then fouled with .3 seconds left and converted both free throws to send the game to overtime tied at 64.

Khristian Smith hit the Sycamores' first field goal after the half and it answered one of IUPUI's own to trim the Jaguar cushion down to 39-37 with just over 15 minutes on the clock. Devonte Brown capitalized on a turnover to reach double figures scoring and knot the game at 39. Indiana State's run reached seven points in a row on a pair of Smith free throws at the 14:19 mark and the Sycamores led 41-39.

Mason Archie countered with a triple, but Brenton Scott was able to connect on a pair of free throws with 13:18 on the clock for the 43-42 lead. An Alex Etherington steal and Scott fast break lay-in made it 45-42 for the Sycamores. IUPUI would come back with a 5-0 run to take a two point lead at 47-45 as the clock ticked under 11 minutes.

After IUPUI took a four point lead, Scott continued to impress with a second chance jumper at the 8:46 mark to cut the Jags advantage down to 49-47. Smith hit a 3-pointer in transition with 5:40 on the clock to push the Sycamores ahead 50-49. Then after grabbing a tough defensive rebound, Smith converted the conventional 3-point play with exactly five minutes on the clock for the 53-49 lead.

The Jags continued the battle with five points in a row to push IUPUI ahead 54-53 as the clock ticked under four minutes to go. As he did in the second half, Smith continued to play well with a pair of free throws out of the last media timeout with 3:43 on the clock to push the Sycamores ahead 55-54. An IUPUI free throw tied the game at 55. On the other end of the floor, Gant was fouled away from the ball and inside the double bonus hit both charity tosses and the Sycamores held a 57-55 lead with 2:40 remaining.

Much as he did to open UCLA's renovated Pauley Pavillion, Justin Gant opened the scoring at the renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum with a 3-pointer from the top of the key two minutes in for an early 3-0 lead. Devonte Brown was aggressive to the basket early as he made four early free throws and the Sycamores owned a 9-4 advantage with 15:30 left in the first half. IUPUI answered with four in a row but freshman Brenton Scott's first career points stretched the lead to 11-8 with 14:29 on the clock.

After IUPUI scored four in a row to knot the score at 12, Tre' Bennett drove to the basket for a lay-up at the 12:09 mark to stretch the lead to 14-12. A Scott free throw following a steal put the Sycamores ahead by a pair before a Marcellus Barksdale's jumper with 9:30 remaining knotted the contest at 17. Barksdale's free throws at the 8:49 mark of the first half gave the Jags their first lead at 19-17.

Khristian Smith, returning to his hometown of Indianapolis, drove in for a lay-up to level the score at 19 as the clock ticked towards eight minutes remaining. A pair of Brown charity tosses at the 7:49 mark answered an IUPUI lay-up and the game was tied for its third time at 21. IUPUI took a 23-21 lead, but could not capitalize on a fast break and missed the front end of the bonus. Bennett was quick the other way and his lay-up tied the game up again at 23. T.J. Bell would take advantage of an over the back foul to hit a free throws and the Sycamores led 24-23 with 6:30 on the clock.

The back and forth continued with Smith answering an IUPUI field goal to regain the lead at 26-25. The Jags opened up some breathing room before Jake Kitchell hit a free throw and a defensive stop was complimented by a short jumper from Brown to knot the score at 29 at the 2:30 mark. Smith connected on a long jumper with just over a minute left before the half to even the score at 31. Kitchell grabbed a defensive rebound at the 1:05 mark and ISU inched ahead 32-31. The Jags' Elijah Ray hit a 3-pointer just before the horn to send IUPUI into the half up 34-32.

Devonte Brown led the Sycamores with eight points at the half while Brenton Scott chipped in with six.  

Indiana State returns to action for its home opener on Tuesday, November 18 when they host Saint Louis of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Tip-off from Hulman Center is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET).