TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball returned to Hulman Center with a dominant 98-54 win over Southern Indiana. ISU has opened the season 9-1 with the win, matching last year's record through 10 games of also 9-1.

Julian Larry was the spearhead of the Sycamore offense, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists, knocking down three triples for the second-straight game. Robbie Avila was the leading scorer of the game with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting (58.3%). Ryan Conwell and Jaden Daughtry also scored 15 points apiece. Conwell made three three-pointers in the game, marking the fifth game in which Conwell made three-plus triples. Daughtry came off the bench in the second half and exploded for 15 points and 11 rebounds in only 13.5 minutes of play for the freshman's first double-double. Five of his 11 rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Eli Shetlar buried three three-pointers for 13 points, the first time he's scored in double figures this season. Jayson Kent kept his personal scoring streak alive with 10 points, finishing each game this season (10 games) in double figures. Xavier Bledson grabbed his season-high in rebounds with seven, also scoring seven points, dishing out four assists, and tallied two steals. Derek Vorst recorded seven rebounds and five assists off the bench for Indiana State.

The contest began in a tight battle, with the Sycamores only leading by three through the first 5.5 minutes of the game. The Sycamores erupted in the next 10 minutes of the game, building the lead up to 21 points, backed by 10 of Avila's 18 points. ISU flirted with taking a 30-point lead into the halftime break, with Shetlar, Vorst, Conwell, and Bledson all recording baskets. USI made one layup with five seconds to go to cut the deficit to 27 points at the half.

The Sycamore defense held USI to only 25 points in the first half, with the help of Masen Miller off the bench. The 25 points nears the lowest opponent mark of the season for a half, after ISU recently held Southern Illinois to only 20 points in a half and kept IUPUI to 21 points earlier this season.

At the break, three players were in double figures: Avila (16 points), Larry (12 points), and Conwell (10 points). The trio of sharpshooters helped ISU shoot 56.3% at the break. Bledson beat his previous season-high in rebounds with five through the first 20 minutes of play.

Indiana State held USI scoreless from beyond the arc until USI knocked down the first of the game at the 15:40 mark in the second half.

The Sycamores came out with more of their offensive firepower in the second half. After Daughtry entered the game with 13:38 remaining, Conwell hit a jumper in the paint to boast a 41-point lead still with 13 minutes remaining. Indiana State held the 40-plus-point lead throughout the remainder of the game, credit to Shetlar scoring 10 of his 13 points and Daughtry scoring all his 15 points in the stretch.

News & Notes

• Indiana State has kicked off the 2023-24 season 9-1, 2-0 MVC. This marks the second-straight season under Coach Josh Schertz that ISU has stood 9-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. 
• Saturday's victory set ISU's win streak to eight games, which matches the eight-game win streak in the 2019-20 season. The Sycamores were victorious from November 22, 2019 through December 30, 2019 in that season.
• The 44-point margin of victory ties the highest margin in the Coach Schertz era (first was set against Old Dominion on November 18, 2021).
• The 98-point team total is the second-highest total by Indiana State this season, yielding only to their 103-point mark set in the win against Rice in the Ball Dawgs Classic on November 21.
• The Sycamores outrebounded the Screaming Eagles 48-28, the largest margin of the season (+20). This sets the record for the largest margin in the Coach Schertz era against Division 1 opponents.
• Each Sycamore that entered the game scored at least one point, the second time this season (first was versus Pepperdine in the Ball Dawgs Classic). 
• Indiana State's defense held USI to 28.6% shooting from three, the sixth time this season an opponent has finished the below 30% as a team.

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law



Coach Josh Schertz, Jaden Daughtry Radio Interview with Joey O'Rourke


Up Next
The Sycamores take a short hiatus for the next week, until they head to Indianapolis to battle the Ball State Cardinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 16. This contest is the first game of two of the Indy Classic, tipping off at 1:45 p.m. ET and will be followed by Purdue University versus the University of Arizona.

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, 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.