Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State raced out to a quick 12-0 lead and then scored ten in a row in the second half as Justin Gant set a new career-high with 24 points as part of the Sycamores' 71-56 victory over visiting Missouri State inside Hulman Center.
The Sycamores improved to 7-8, 3-0 MVC while the Bears fell to 8-7, 2-1 MVC in a battle of two of the league's three undefeated teams heading into the night's action. Indiana State is now 3-0 in The Valley for the second consecutive season and have won three in a row over Missouri State at home.
Gant's career-high 24 points fueled the Sycamores' offensive attack. He went 9-of-13 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers and was 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Gant also led the Sycamores in rebounding with six in 33 minutes of action. Also strong against Missouri State was Devonte Brown who scored 16 points with four rebounds and two steals. Brenton Scott reached double figures scoring for his team-leading 11th time this season as he scored 10.
The Sycamores blazed the nets at a 64 percent clip in the first half and finished 28-of-50 (56 percent). The Sycamore defense held the Bears to just 9-of-28 shooting (32.1 percent) in the first half and 37.5 percent for the game. MSU was able to win the rebounding battle by a 29-26 margin and held a slight 12-10 cushion in second chance points.
Indiana State did hit seven 3-pointers in the game, including a perfect 3-of-3 showing from Scott, but this game was won down low as the Sycamores owned a 38-18 lead in the paint. For the third consecutive game, the Sycamores won the points off turnovers battle (21-to-17). The Sycamores shared the ball well with 19 assists on 28 made field goals.
The Sycamores are now 58-5 under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing when limiting the opposition to 63 points or less. Indiana State has now won 38 of their last 50 games inside Hulman Center.
Gant led the way early for the Sycamores as he tallied the first seven points of the game as part of a 12-0 run over the first three minutes which was capped by a Jake Kitchell lay-up. Marcus Marshall finally got Missouri State on the board with a pair of free throws at the 16:03 mark and didn't get their first field goal until the clock read 14:28 as Christian Kirk's jumper cut the Indiana State lead to 14-4.
Kirk's field goal was part of a the Bears' own 12-0 run which saw the score leveled at 14 with 11:19 remaining before the break. Kitchell stopped the bleeding at the 10:45 mark to put ISU ahead 16-14, but Austin Ruder's 3-pointer on the next possession gave the Bears a brief 17-16 lead. ISU then scored five in a row on a Brown jumper and Alex Etherington trey for a 21-17 lead. MSU came back with a score, but Scott's trifecta at the 7:48 mark staked ISU to a 24-19 lead.
Scott's 3-pointer kicked off an 8-0 run which was capped by Kitchell's lay-up with 6:15 on the clock and Indiana State found themselves ahead 29-19. The Sycamores led by 13 points twice the rest of the way on a Brown lay-up with 4:26 remaining as well as at 39-26 with nine seconds to go for a 39-26 advantage. Kirk hit a quick lay-up with two seconds to go to send the Sycamores to a 39-28 lead at the break.
Loomis Gerring scored first for the Bears in the second half, but Brown answered to restore a 41-30 Sycamore cushion with 17:59 remaining. Gant extended the lead to 44-30 on a conventional 3-point play four minutes into the second half. The Bears would score the next seven to draw within 44-37, but Gant stemmed the tide with a charity toss to extend the lead to eight points.
The Bears would get as close as 50-45 with 11:14 remaining, but the Sycamores used a 10-0 spurt as they scored on five consecutive possessions to restore a 60-45 advantage on a Kitchell lay-up with 6:58 on the clock.
Missouri State would never get closer than 14 points the rest of the way, but a 3-pointer from Scott at the 2:17 mark gave Indiana State a 69-52 lead and the scoring was capped by a lay-up from Brandon Murphy with less than a minute to go. Shawn Roundtree scored for the Bears with eight seconds remaining as ISU took the 71-56 victory to remain perfect in conference play.
Austin Ruder paced the Bears with 14 points while Marcus Marshall and Dorrian Williams scored 11 each.
Indiana State returns to action on Saturday, January 10 when they travel to Southern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised locally on WAWV-TV as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court and online via ESPN3.
