Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Sycamores put four scorers in double figures and were able to put together a furious late game rally but Evansville ended a four game Indiana State winning streak in the series with a 89-78 victory inside the Ford Center.
Indiana State fell to 10-11, 6-3 MVC while Evansville improved to 16-5, 6-3 MVC. The two teams are now tied for third in the conference standings.
Four scorers went in double figures scoring for the Sycamores, including Devonte Brown's 18 points. He hit 10 free throws in the game. Brenton Scott led the team with 20 while Justin Gant had 14 and Tre' Bennett added a career-high 16.
Justin Gant opened the scoring with a 3-pointer less than a minute in to stake the Sycamores to a quick 3-0 advantage. Brenton Scott added a charity toss as Indiana State scored the first four points but Evansville countered with the next nine for the five-point cushion. A long jumper from Gant stopped the run and a 3-pointer from Scott at the 15:07 mark cut the Evansville lead down to 11-9.
After Adam Wing spotted the Purple Aces a three-point advantage, Tre' Bennett drilled a shot from distance to level the score at 13 just ahead of the 14 minute mark.
A pair of D.J. Ballentine charity tosses put the Purple Aces ahead 23-17, but Bennett and Gant came up with trifectas on consecutive trips down the floor around an Evansville turnover and the game was knotted at 23 as the clock ticked towards the eight minute mark. A driving lay-up from Brenton Scott stopped nearly a five minute stretch with no field goals to draw the Sycamores within 32-28 with just over three minutes left before the break.
A moving screen set up the Sycamores with possession and Scott made them pay with a 15-footer to get Indiana State within two points. The two teams traded turnovers and Ballentine converted the conventional 3-point play at the 2:13 mark to run the Evansville advantage out to 35-30. Grant Prusator answered with 1:37 to go with a trifecta in transition and the Purple Aces lead was down to two.
Evansville countered with five points in a row but Devonte Brown finished off the first half with a trio of charity tosses with 1.7 seconds on the clock after he was fouled on a long distance attempt. Brown, who leads the MVC in free throws attempted, got the Sycamores within 40-36 at the half. Brenton Scott led Indiana State with 10 points at the break, as the Sycamores were 6-of-12 from downtown before halftime.
Each team scored on three of their first five offensive possessions as a Kitchell putback with just under 17 minutes left got the Sycamores within 46-42. Kitchell then ended a nearly five minute dry spell for the Sycamores after Evansville scored nine in a row to get Indiana State within 56-46 with 11:17 to go.
Evansville stretched the lead out to 14, before Bennett hit his third trifecta of the game as the clock ticked under nine minutes to get the Sycamores within 60-49. Meanwhile it was four consecutive successful trips down the floor for Evansville, but a conventional 3-point play from Brown with 7:42 on the clock got the Sycamores within 64-54. Ballentine made it five in a row with a triple to restore the 13-point cushion.
The Sycamores used a late-game 10-0 run, including a pair of Scott 3-pointers to cut the Evansville lead down to 80-72 with just under two minutes remaining. After a 1-of-2 trip to the free throw line, Bennett hit his fourth 3-pointer to cut the Evansville lead down to 81-75. After two empty trips returned the Evansville lead to double digits, Brown converted the conventional 3-point play with 46.8 seconds remaining to cut the Evansville lead down to 86-78.
Ballentine paced Evansville with 18 points.
Indiana State returns to Hulman Center on Saturday, January 31 when they take on Bradley. Tip-off is set for 1:05 p.m. (ET).
