TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State Sycamores scored early and often Thursday night as they improved to 3-0 this season with a 101-75 win over the visiting North Dakota State Bison at the Hulman Center.
 
The Sycamores scored first and never trailed for the second consecutive game, and their lead reached a game-high 35 points at 15:10 in the second half.
 
Reigning Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Courvoisier McCauley paced all scorers in the game with a DI career-high 30 points. Cooper Neese and Cameron Henry each joined McCauley in double-figures with 16 and 15 points, respectively, and 12 of 13 Sycamores who saw action scored in the game.
 
Four different Sycamores pulled down five rebounds each, and ISU dished out 19 assists while committing just three turnovers.
 
The Sycamores won the tip and Kailex Stephens opened the scoring in the game with a putback on ISU's first possession, and McCauley later sparked a 9-0 run with back-to-back buckets that pushed ISU's lead to 10 points at 15-5 less than five minutes into the game. Neese and McCauley connected on back-to-back triples just two minutes later, and by the 13:06 mark, McCauley was already in double-figures with 12 points as the Sycamores led 25-11.
 
Stephens later ignited an 11-0 run for ISU with a 3-pointer at 4:35, and the Sycamores led 45-24 by the end of the run. ISU held the Bison to just two points in the last six minutes of the first half, and went into the break up 49-29.
 
Indiana State went on an 18-2 run spanning 2:55 early in the second half, and in that span the Sycamores were 6-for-6 from the field including 4-of-4 from distance. McCauley closed out that run with back-to-back triples to put ISU up by a game-high 35 points at 69-35 with 15:10 to play.
 
The Bison responded with a 9-0 run to cut their deficit down to 23 midway through the frame, but ISU rattled off 12 straight points, capped once again by a McCauley triple, to extend the lead back out to 86-51 with 7:46 remaining. Masen Miller and Zach Hobbs each connected on a triple within less than a minute of each other, and with less than two minutes to go, Xavier Bledson knocked down a pair of free throws and hit a bucket to get the Sycamores past the century mark.
 
Inside the Numbers

• ISU outshot its opponent for the third straight game, shooting 49.3 percent from the field compared to NDSU's 41.5 percent. The Sycamores also connected on twice as many triples as the Bison. In the first half, ISU outshot NDSU 55.9 percent to 32.3 percent.
• In committing just three turnovers, ISU conceded just four points off turnovers while forcing 15 Bison turnovers and scoring 21 points off of them.
• The Sycamores outscored the Bison in the paint (38-30), off second chances (8-5), and fast breaks (13-11).
• Six different Sycamores connected from distance, led by McCauley with six triples, as many as NDSU as a whole team.

 
News & Notes

• The Sycamores scored 107 points against Midway on Dec. 29, 2021, but Thursday night was the first time ISU scored 100 or more points against a Division I team in regulation since Feb. 2, 1985. ISU scored 102 in a double overtime win against Eastern Illinois Dec. 19, 1999.
• ISU is 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2011-12 when the Trees opened the season 5-0. The Sycamores have scored 80 or more points in all three wins and are outscoring their opponent by more than 21 through the first three games.
• Courvoisier McCauley's 30 points surpassed his Division I career-high by nine points, and he is averaging 22.5 points through ISU's first three games. He shot 10-of-15 from the field with six triples alongside a tied team-high five boards, four assists, and two steals.
• True freshmen Robbie Avila and Rob Martin each made their Sycamore debut. Avila went 3-of-6 from the field with a pair of assists and a block while Martin dished out an assist and pulled down a board.

 
Up Next
The Sycamores head to the Sunshine State to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase Nov. 21-23 at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. ISU opens its run in the tournament against East Carolina Monday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. ET. Game times and opponents for Tuesday and Wednesday are TBA. All games will be streamed on FloSports. Other teams competing include Toledo, Kansas City, Drexel, UT Arlington, Northern Kentucky, and Florida Gulf Coast.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Men's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 
- #MarchOn –