Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Sycamores shook off a slow offensive start to hit over 50 percent of their shots in the second half, including six 3-pointers after the break, to earn a hard fought 64-58 decision over short-handed Bradley inside Hulman Center.
Indiana State improved to 11-11, 7-3 MVC while the Braves fell to 7-16, 2-8 MVC. The Sycamores are a perfect 5-0 in Valley play at home so far this season.
Brenton Scott led the way with 13 points as the Sycamores put together a balanced offensive scoring attack. Devonte Brown added 12 points while Tre' Bennett added 11. Justin Gant's 10 points put four Sycamores in double figures scoring. Scott also led the team in assists with five.
The Sycamores struggled from the field in the first half (7-of-29 for 24.1 percent), but came out on fire after halftime. Indiana State blazed the nets with a 14-of-25 mark (56.0 percent) and hit over 46 percent of their shots from 3-point range. Paced by eight rebounds from Jake Kitchell, the Sycamores owned a 41-32 edge on the glass and an 8-6 advantage in second chance points. All nine Sycamores recorded at least one rebound in the victory.
Indiana State won for the third time in a row over Bradley and defeated the Braves inside Hulman Center for the sixth consecutive time. The Sycamores are now 61-5 over the last five seasons when holding a team to 63 points or less.
Indiana State held a fundraiser during the game for Madi Adams, the young daughter of WTWO sports personality Cody Adams, a graduate of Indiana State University. Madi is battling Leukemia at less the age of less than one year old. The Sycamore faithful donated $1,881 to her medical expenses during the game and a collection will be taken again tomorrow at the women's game against Evansville.
The scoring began when Jake Kitchell found Justin Gant on a high-low play just over two minutes into the contest for the quick 2-0 advantage. Brenton Scott added a pair of free throws after being fouled in transition to run the edge out to four points. The Braves stormed back with the next eight points and the Sycamores called their first timeout. Before the run was over, the Braves had scored 13 in a row before Brenton Scott ended the drought with 12:50 on the clock to cut the Bradley advantage down to six points.
Tre' Bennett kept the run going with three points in a row and then a fast break lay-up off a Scott steal as the Sycamore got within a point of the Braves. Each team then traded buckets around the six minute mark as Gant rattled home a jumper to get the Sycamores within 19-18. Scott once again came to the rescue with 2:15 left in the first half as he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to cut a six-point deficit in half.
Jake Kitchell then continued the late first half rally with a pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining to get the Sycamores within 24-23. Bradley scored the final points of the opening half on a tip-in to take a 26-23 lead into the locker room. Scott led the Sycamores with eight points at the break.
The Sycamores started out with a Brown 3-pointer on their opening possession after halftime off the assist from Gant. Brown's trifecta tied the score at 26. After surrendering a field goal to the Braves, Brown gave the Sycamores' their first lead since early in the first half with his second trey after halftime and the Sycamores led 29-28 at the 17:44 mark.
Each team traded field goals and Scott went into double figures scoring for the team-leading 16th time of the season with his third trifecta of the game to stake the Sycamores to a 34-32 lead at the 15:34 mark. The Braves took a short lived one-point advantage on an Austin Barnes triple, but Bennett answered with one of his own with 14:23 left on the clock to push Indiana State out to a 37-35 lead. Bradley tied it up and Bennett hit another 3-pointer to go into double figures scoring and the 40-37 cushion.
After an offensive foul was whistled on Bradley, Brown got back into the action with his third 3-pointer of the second half and the team's sixth to push the Sycamores out to a 43-37 advantage. The Sycamores were able to make 7-of-11 shots out of halftime and six of their first eight from distance to turn a 3-point deficit at the half into a six-point lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game.
A Bradley timeout was called and the Sycamores made it eight points in a row after an Alex Etherington steal and fast break dunk at the 12:49 mark to run the lead out to 45-37. Bradley whittled the Sycamores' lead down to just five points before Khristian Smith hit a pair of charity tosses at the nine minute mark for the 51-44 cushion. Smith and Gant then scored consecutively to run the Sycamore lead out to 55-46 with 7:51 remaining.
Tramique Sutherland hit a 3-pointer with 5:20 to go to get the Braves within five points but a pair of lay-ups by Scott and Smith on the fastbreak stretched the lead out to 61-52 as the clocked neared one minute remaining.
Sutherland led the Braves with 18 points.
Indiana State stays at home on Tuesday, February 3 when the Sycamores host Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m. (ET) inside Hulman Center. The Panthers are currently ranked No. 18 in both national polls.
