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Indiana State University Athletics

Cooper Neese
79
Winner Indiana St. INS 4-0,0-0 MVC
75
East Carolina ECU 3-1,0-0 AAC
Winner
Indiana St. INS
4-0,0-0 MVC
79
Final
75
East Carolina ECU
3-1,0-0 AAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana St. INS 43 36 79
East Carolina ECU 38 37 75

Game Recap: Basketball | | Codie Kunstmann | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores Remain Unbeaten After Defeating East Carolina in Gulf Coast Showcase Opener

ESTERO, Fla. – In their first road trip of the season, the Indiana State Sycamores opened their run at the Gulf Coast Showcase with a 79-75 win over East Carolina at Hertz Arena. ISU (4-0) handed the Pirates (3-1) their first loss of the season, and will move on to face Kansas City in the winner's bracket of the tournament Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.
 
It was a balanced effort on the night as each Sycamore who saw action found themselves in the scoring column for the second time this year. Four Sycamores posted double-digits, led by Courvoisier McCauley and Xavier Bledson with 16 apiece. All of Bledson's points came off the bench, and he and McCauley combined to go 14-of-17 from the charity stripe.
 
Indiana State got off to a hot start with a 6-0 run highlighted by a slam from Kailex Stephens, and Cameron Henry took advantage of a pair of ECU turnovers to lay up back-to-back baskets for a 13-4 lead at 15:52. The Pirates cut their deficit down to one at 18-17 with 10:26 to go in the half, but ISU responded with a layup and Henry slam to go back up by five a minute later.
 
Bledson drilled a pair of threes midway through the frame, and with 2:30 to go, Cooper Neese drew a foul on a 3-point basket and knocked down the free throw to complete the rare four-point play. The Sycamores held a 43-38 lead going into the halftime break.
 
A plethora of Sycamores posted up for a big defensive stop that led to ISU hitting the first bucket of the second half, and Neese drilled a triple to put him in double-digits at 16:39 and extend ISU's lead to 50-43. That lead hit double-digits when Henry swatted away an ECU shot to set Stephens up for a fastbreak layup at the other end and force a Pirate timeout with ISU up 55-44 and 14:31 to go. Robbie Avila later knocked down his first collegiate triple, and McCauley completed an and-1 to get him in double-figures and push the lead to 63-48 at 9:05.
 
Bledson checked back in and hit a pair of free throws, followed by a layup before he assisted McCauley's triple that put ISU up by 15 at 70-55 with 5:55 to go. ECU then went on a 7-0 run spanning 2:43 to cut its deficit to 71-65 with 2:50 remaining. The Pirates continued to chip away, coming with three points off a pair of free throws at 73-70, and with ISU up by just three points with 46 seconds to go, Neese fed Trenton Gibson for a crucial basket. Bledson later pulled down a defensive rebound and drew a foul for another trip to the line where he cushioned ISU's lead at 78-70 to all but seal the victory for the Sycamores.

Inside the Numbers
  • Despite the win, the Sycamores shot a season-low 43.3 percent from the field and a season-low seven 3-pointers for 25.0 percent beyond the arc.
  • ISU committed just 11 turnovers while forcing 17 from ECU. Four different Sycamores collected a pair of steals each, and ISU scored 22 points off ECU turnovers while giving up just 10 points off their own turnovers.
  • ISU outscored ECU in the paint, 38-22.
  • McCauley and Gibson led ISU on the boards, pulling down seven and six rebounds, respectively. As a team, ISU hauled in 26 rebounds compared to ECU's 36.
  • The Sycamores dished out 14 assists led by Bledson's four and Neese's three.
News & Notes
  • Indiana State is 4-0 to start the season for the first time since 2011-12 when the Sycamores started out 5-0.
  • The Sycamores scored first for the third straight game and have not trailed their opponent since the first half against Green Bay in their season opener Nov. 7.
  • With the win, the Sycamores improve to 2-0 against ECU all-time and 36-42 in multi-team events in their DI era.
  • Bledson led the charge off the bench with a tied team-high 16 points including 8-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe alongside four assists and two rebounds.
  • Cameron Henry and Courvoisier McCauley each received a technical foul in the game and both went on to foul out late in the second half.
Up Next
The Sycamores will face Kansas City in the second round of the tournament Tuesday at 5 p.m. Kansas City defeated Toledo 83-71 to advance to the winner's bracket.
 
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.
 
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