DAYTON, Ohio  – For the second consecutive game, the Sycamore Basketball team faced another league's preseason favorite and for the second time in a row Indiana State earned the victory as they overcame adversity to down Horizon League preseason favorite Wright State by the score of 84-77 in overtime in front of 3,509 fans inside the Nutter Center.
 
The Sycamores won for the fifth consecutive time in a row o improve to 5-4 while Wright State fell to 7-3. All three of the Raiders' losses this season have come by either one possession or in overtime. On Tuesday night, the Sycamores took down Summit League Preseason favorite North Dakota State and this time it was Wright State – the preseason favorites in the Horizon.
 
Indiana State has won five in a row for the first time since an early season streak of five in a row last year which was capped with a win over Wright State inside Hulman Center. It was the program's first win inside the State of Ohio since a 2009 victory at Toledo.
 
ISU had to survive numerous Wright State runs in the game and lost leading scorer Tyreke Key to a late game gash on his head.
 
Cooper Neese went over the 20-point scoring mark for the second time this season en route to posting a career-best 25 points. Jordan Barnes owned 22 points to give the Sycamores two scorers over 20 points in the same game for the second time this season. Neese hit 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including five 3-pointers. Barnes made a trio of triples in the game. Freshman Tre Williams enjoyed his second Homecoming to his native Ohio this season and responded with a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds.


 
Key led the way on the glass with nine rebounds while ISU enjoyed a dominant 49-32 edge on the glass. 14 offensive rebounds were converted into 15 second chance points. ISU was guilty of 20 turnovers in the contest.
 
ISU hit 34-of-70 shots from the field for a 48.5 percent mark and buried nine 3-pointers in the contest.
 
Trailing by three points with seven minutes to go, Cooper Neese reached the 20-point mark for the second time in his Sycamore career with his fourth 3-pointer of the game to give the Sycamores a 62-61 lead. Wright State tied the game up at the free throw line on the next possession. Tyreke Key answered by grabbing his own miss and the two teams continued to trade baskets until Williams grabbed a second-chance bucket and Barnes went coast-to-coast to push the Sycamore cushion out to 68-64 with just over five minutes to go.


 
Neese made it six points in a row for the Sycamores after a defensive stop and floater in the lane with 4:51 remaining to run the Sycamore advantage out to 70-64. Billy Wampler posted a free throw and the Raiders drained a 3-pointer as the clock ticked under the four minute mark but Jake LaRavia countered with a hook shot in the lane to stake the Sycamores a 72-71 lead. Wright State hit a triple for the second consecutive trip to draw within 72-71.
 
Tied at 73 with less than 30 seconds on the clock at the end of regulation, Jordan Barnes and Jake LaRavia each had looks which would not fall to send the Sycamores to their first overtime game of the year.
 
In the extra period, Drake transfer Billy Wampler hit a pair of free throws but Tre Williams answered with a hook shot in the paint to knot the game at 75. A Wright State lay-up was answered by Cooper Neese's fifth 3-pointer of the game to push the Sycamores ahead by a point. Jordan Barnes hit a jumper with 1:27 remaining to push the lead out to three and Cam Bacote and Jordan Barnes went 4-of-4 from the free throw line down the stretch for the 84-77 victory.
 
The Sycamores expanded their halftime advantage out to seven points on the opening possession after the break when Tre Williams scored inside. ISU's lead swelled to 43-35 with 17:09 remaining when Neese drained a corner three off a second-chance opportunity. The Raiders scored seven in a row to draw within a point before Williams scored again inside and then Trey Calvin tallied a triple with 14:10 on the clock to knot the game at 45.
 
Cam Bacote ended a 4-0 Raider run with 12:40 to go with a 3-pointer from the right wing and then Tre Williams converted a second-chance tip-in with 12:06 to go to draw the Sycamores within a point at 51-50. Following a Jordan Barnes steal, Neese rattled one home on the next possession as the Sycamores surged back ahead 52-51. After the Raiders went back ahead by three, De'Avion Washington converted a second-chance bucket and Bronson Kessinger hit the Sycamores' first two attempts at the free throw line with 9:50 remaining to push ISU ahead 56-55.


 
The back-and-forth continued with Wright State taking another 3-point lead but Neese had the answer with his third triple of the contest with just over eight minutes on the clock to knot the game at 59. But a long defensive rebound by Wright State was followed by a Skeylar Potter dunk with 7:59 to go as the Raiders inched back ahead 61-59.
 
Grant Basile opened the scoring for the Raiders with a 3-pointer on their opening possession but ISU answered with six in a row, including a second chance bucket from Cobie Barnes to take a 6-2 lead as the clock ticked towards the 16 minute mark. Knotted at eight each, Wright State connected from distance on consecutive trips by Skyelar Potter and James Manns to take a 14-8 lead. They stretch the lead out to nine on Mann's second triple of the first half. The 8-0 WSU run ended on a lay-up from Cobie Barnes as the clock moved past the 11 minute mark.
 
Wright State extended the lead out to eight points on a conventional 3-point play by Jordan Ash, but Neese made a driving lay-up and then Barnes took advantage of a great defensive stop by Jake LaRavia to hit the team's first 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining to draw within three. After a Raider turnover, Neese hit a driving lay-up to make it a 7-0 run and cut the Wright State lead down to 22-21. Wright State turned the ball over on their next trip and Tyreke Key made it nine in a row for the Sycamores with a turnaround jumper at the 6:44 mark as ISU regained a 23-22 lead. The advantage was short lived as Jaylon Hall converted a trifecta to push WSU back ahead 25-23. Tre Williams knotted the game with 5:20 to go on a lay-up and Jordan Barnes hit his second 3-pointer of the opening half for a 3-point lead.
 
Barnes made it an 8-0 run when he connected from deep downtown with 4:38 on the clock to stretch the lead out to six and Tre Williams posted a lay-up in transition as the clock ticked down towards the four minute mark for the 33-27 lead.
 
Four points in a row from Wright State drew the Raiders within a possession before Neese drilled a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to send the Sycamores into the locker room with a 38-33 cushion. Jordan Barnes paced the Sycamores at the break with 13 points.
 
Wright State was led in the game by Trey Calvin who scored 15 points off the bench.
 
Indiana State now pauses for Final Exams but will conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule on Wednesday, December 18 when they host Tennessee State at 7:00 p.m. (ET) as well as on Sunday, December 22 when they host Chicago State at 2 pm (ET). The December 22 game will feature an in-game tribute to commentate the 30^th anniversary of the Christmas classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.