Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State placed Brenton Scott and Devonte Brown in double figures scoring but Wichita State used a balanced attack to down the Sycamores, 84-51 in front of 4,521 fans inside Hulman Center.
ISU falls to 13-15, 7-9 MVC while the Shockers improved to 21-7, 14-2 and earned the No. 1 seed at next month's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Scott led the way with 14 points as he hit a trio of 3-pointers. He now has 69 made 3-pointers on the season which is the fourth-highest total ever by a Sycamore. Devonte Brown added 11 points and five rebounds. Everett Clemons tallied seven points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Sycamores hit nine field goals in each half and were 18-of-58 shooting (31 percent) for the game. The Shockers hit 16-of-32 shots before halftime (50 percent) and finished the contest with a 44.6 percent mark. Wichita State finished the game with a narrow 42-40 margin in rebounding, but a 10-5 edge in second chance points. WSU only committed four turnovers and forced 14 Sycamore miscues to win the points off turnovers battle by an 18-6 margin. Matt Van Scyoc led the way for the Sycamores with six rebounds.
Wichita State scored the game's first four points until consecutive lay-ups by Scott and Brown leveled the score at four. Ron Baker converted a conventional 3-point play to push the Shockers ahead by three, but Scott answered with his first trifecta at the 15:37 mark to even the score at 7.
The Shockers scored five in a row before Scott hit a jumper and then rattled off four in a row to take a 16-9 lead with 13:25 on the clock. After a pair of Brown charity tosses got the Sycamores within five, WSU scored six in a row for a 22-11 advantage. The next Sycamore field gaol came at the 7:13 mark to draw within 29-16 on a Brown jumper. Van Scyoc's 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark got the Sycamores within 34-21, but the Shockers answered with seven in a row to stretch their lead out to 41-21. Clemons converted a driving lay-up with 35 seconds left in the first half as Wichita State owned a 44-26 advantage at the half.
The first seven points of the second half were scored by Wichita State as they took a 51-26 lead just under three minutes in. Van Scycoc scored first after the break at the 16:17 mark, but Zach Brown drained a 3-pointer on the next possession as the WSU lead grew to 54-28. A trifecta from Scott and then a jumper by Van Scyoc cut the Wichita lead down to 54-33.
The Shockers led by as many as 35 points late in the game, but Rickman converted a dunk with 44 seconds remaining as the Sycamores fell 84-51.
Four Shockers reached double figures scoring, led by 14 points by Ron Baker.
Indiana State hits the road for the final time this season when they travel to Northern Iowa on Wednesday, February 24. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live on The Valley On ESPN3.
