TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State basketball went into the locker room up five points at halftime, but Southern Illinois outscored the Sycamores 44-35 in the final 20 minutes to claim a 76-72 victory Saturday afternoon at Hulman Center.
 
The Salukis (15-13, 8-8 MVC) were able to take advantage of 13 ISU turnovers, turning the miscues into 18 points. Tied at 61 with five minutes remaining, the Sycamores turned the ball over twice as the Salukis were able to capitalize each time as Southern ended the game on a 17-9 run.
 
Lance Jones, Ben Coupet Jr., and Troy D'Amico each buried 3-pointers during the stretch as SIU finished 12-for-28 from behind the arc.
 
The Sycamores (11-16, 4-11 MVC) picked up a career high scoring effort from Kailex Stephens who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and an assist in the loss while Cooper Neese surpassed 1,000 career points after scoring 19 on 7-of-12 shooting, including three of ISU's six shots from distance.
 
Cameron Henry and Xavier Bledson also scored in double-figures for the Sycamores. Henry earned his third double-double of the season with a 10-point, 11 rebound and five assist effort while Bledson put up 10 points four assists and four rebounds.
 
The Salukis had three double-digit scorers led by Jones with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Marcus Domask added 21 points while Ben Coupet Jr. scored 16 for SIU.
 
Indiana State led for more than 26 minutes in the game as both teams went back-and-forth with 11 lead changes and 10 ties. Julian Larry extended the ISU lead to seven with a transition dunk two minutes into the second half before the Salukis clawed their way back, eventually tying the game at 44 at the 12-minute mark.
 
Bledson pushed the Sycamore lead back out to four at 51-47 with a score from the post to go along with a foul. Stephens continued to work from the post in the second half, scoring seven points in the final 20 minutes.
 
During a four-minute stretch in the second half, SIU erased their deficit and tied the game with 5:16 on the clock. The Salukis scored on three offensive rebounds after ISU was unable to corral a rebound from their 2-3-zone. Jones put SIU ahead for the first time in the second half with a 3-pointer with under four minutes to play before Neese answered with a shot from deep of his own.
 
Coupet Jr. knocked in his 12th point with a 3-pointer with 2:42 left to play and the Salukis did not give up the lead again.
 
Indiana State won the turnover battle 33-27 but SIU was able to force 13 turnovers while only committing six of their own. ISU shot 52.9 percent (27-51) from the field and 6-for-12 from deep while SIU finished 45 percent (27-60) from the field.
 
UP NEXT
In the midst of four games over seven days, Indiana State will travel to Des Moines Sunday before facing off with Drake Monday at 8 p.m. ET. The team returns home for the final game at Hulman Center Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET when Northern Iowa comes to town. Both games will air on ESPN Plus and 105.5 The Legend.
 
FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 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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