TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  – Indiana State rallied to within four points of visiting Missouri State, but the Bears held strong in downing the Sycamores 71-58 in front of 3,988 fans inside Hulman Center.
 
The Sycamores saw their 12-game home winning streak end as they fell to 14-11, 7-7 MVC. Missouri State improved to 13-14, 7-7 MVC. ISU is now 10-1 this season at home.
 
Jordan Barnes became the first player in the history of the Sycamore program to reach the ISU Top 10 in points scored, 3-point field goals made, assists and steals when he recorded a pair of pilfers in the game. His 1,496 career points scored is No. 9 at ISU, his 265 career 3-pointers is third, his 369 career assists are tied for ninth and his 129 steals are also ninth. He finished this game with 14 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers with four assists and two steals.
 
Leading the way in scoring was senior Christian Williams who posted 15 points on the strength of 6-of-9 shooting while freshman Jake LaRavia tallied 11 points and five rebounds. The Sycamores were limited to 20-of-55 shooting in the contest (36.4 percent) and were 5-of-20 from 3-point range (25.0 percent). The Bears finished the game shooting at a 24-of-51 clip (47.1 percent). They were 7-of-9 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes and finished the game 7-of-16 (43.8 percent).
 
The Bears controlled the boards to the tune of a 46-26 clip and their bench outscored the Sycamores by a 36-11 margin.






Jordan Barnes scored off his own miss in the paint on the opening possession to stake the Sycamores to a quick 2-0 lead. When he hit a jumper with 16:18 on the clock, the Sycamores led 6-5. After the Bears took a four-point lead, Barnes hit another long jumper and that was followed with a Cooper Neese lay-up to knot the game at 10. The Bears scored seven in a row before LaRavia tallied a lay-up with 10:17 remaining to trim their lead down to 17-12.
 
A Lamont West fast break dunk with 2:29 on the clock staked the Bears to a 35-23 advantage before the Sycamores got a triple from Jordan Barnes a trio of free throws including two from Christian Williams with 37 seconds to go which made it 35-29. Williams would drop a floater in the bottom of the bucket at the halftime horn but Missouri State owned a 38-31 lead at the break.
 
Christian Williams pulled up for a jumper 25 seconds into the second stanza to get the Sycamores within five points at 38-33 before the Bears rattled off eight in a row capped by a Keandre Cook jumper with 15:50 remaining to make it 46-33.
 
The Sycamores would rally by scoring five in a row to get within 46-38. Trailing, 52-41 with 12:34 on the clock, Williams drilled a 3-pointer to trim the deficit down to just eight points and Tre Williams hit both ends of the bonus to make it 52-46. LaRavia drove the lane line with 11:08 remaining to cap the 7-0 Sycamore spurt and the Sycamores trailed just 52-48.
 
But a 13-0 Missouri State run over the next four and a half minutes would be too much to overcome as the lead swelled to 68-50 with 6:20 remaining. Cobie Barnes drilled a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining and the Bears went on to the 71-58 victory.
 
Leading the way in scoring for Missouri State was Lamont West who was 6-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line to score 22 points.
 
Indiana State hosts league-leading Northern Iowa on Thursday, February 20 inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) and will be nationally-televised on ESPN+.