Skip To Main Content

Indiana State University Athletics

Robbie Avila
Drue Wolfe
68
Indiana St. INS 13-9,6-5 MVC
70
Winner Drake DRA 16-6,7-4 MVC
Indiana St. INS
13-9,6-5 MVC
68
Final
70
Drake DRA
16-6,7-4 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana St. INS 26 42 68
Drake DRA 44 26 70

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

Avila, McCauley will Sycamores to near second-half comeback at Drake

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Sycamores were down by 18 at halftime and completely erased that deficit in the final minute of play before falling 70-68 to Drake on a Bulldog triple Tuesday night inside the Knapp Center on CBS Sports Network.
 
Robbie Avila and Courvoisier McCauley each had just six points in the first half before finishing the night with a tied game-high 22 points apiece. The duo combined for 16 rebounds while McCauley was just one board shy of a double-double.
 
Indiana State gave up a 15-0 run amidst a six-minute scoring drought in the first half and went into halftime down 44-26, but it ultimately came down to the final three minutes. The Sycamores trailed by double figures with 8:17 on the clock, but later Avila sparked and capped an 8-0 run to cut Indiana State's deficit to one point at 61-60 with 3:33 to go.
 
McCauley came up clutch down the stretch as he knocked down a pair of free throws to even things up at 63-all with 3:09 remaining. Drake responded with back-to-back jumpers to go back up 67-63 with just over a minute left, but McCauley drove in for a layup seconds later. Avila pulled down a board on the defensive end and Indiana State called a timeout down 67-65 with 25 seconds on the clock.
 
McCauley nailed his fourth triple of the night to give the Sycamores the lead, their first of the game, at 68-67 with 17 seconds on the clock. Cade McKnight tried to knock a rebound away, but Drake's D.J. Wilkins secured the board and the nailed the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left, denying the Sycamores a clean last-second shot.
 
Inside the Numbers
  • The Sycamores hit nine threes in the game, which is the most they've made since hitting 13 against Evansville Dec. 29.
  • ISU committed 15 total turnovers compared to Drake's 14, but committed just five in the second half.
  • The Sycamores outscored Drake 42-26 in the second half, and they shot 32.1 percent from the field in the first compared to 51.9 percent in the second.
 
News & Notes
  • With the loss, Indiana State splits its season series with Drake while seeing its skid hit five games.
  • Robbie Avila scored a career-high in his second-straight game with his 22 points surpassing his previous career-high of 18 set Saturday at Murray State.
  • Courvoisier McCauley's 22 points marks 14 straight games in double figures and his sixth 20+-point game this season.
  • Tuesday is the first time two Sycamores have scored 20+ points since Dec. 11 at Southern Indiana when McCauley (23) and Jayson Kent (20) each hi9t 20+. 
Up Next
The Sycamores return home to the Hulman Center this weekend for a matchup against Northern Iowa Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. It's Alumni Weekend, and there will also be a food drive presented by Indiana State SAAC benefitting the Sycamore Pantry.
 
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 -
 
Print Friendly Version