NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana State's win streak came to a close in heartbreaking fashion Wednesday night at Belmont as the Sycamores fell 89-88 to the Bruins inside Curb Event Center. Indiana State (20-10, 13-6 MVC) used a 10-0 run in the first half to lead Belmont (20-10, 13-6 MVC) by 17 points at halftime, but it came down to the final seconds of the game when the Sycamores were called for a controversial foul that sent Belmont to the line for a pair of game-winning free throws with two seconds on the clock.
 
Julian Larry notched his 100th assist of the season early in the first half and finished with a game-high six assists. Xavier Bledson led Indiana State in scoring with 20 points in his second start of the year, and four other Sycamores scored in double-figures including Courvoisier McCauley who pulled down a team-high seven boards alongside his 12 points.
 
The game opened up in back-and-forth fashion until Belmont got two straight buckets for an 8-4 lead at 17:34, but Larry put up a block before back-to-back Sycamore buckets gave Indiana State its first lead of the game at 13-11 with 13:43 to go in the first half.
 
That lead was pushed to 21-13 when Larry dished out his third assist of the day for his 100th of the season on the first of back-to-back Sycamore triples. Belmont cut its deficit to one point at 26-25 with 8:23 left in the frame, but then Indiana State exploded for a 19-3 run to push its lead to 17 points at 45-28 with 2:42 to go.
 
That lead hit a game-high 19 points with just under a minute to go in the half, and after Belmont got a couple late buckets back, Cooper Neese nailed a triple at the buzzer to send the Sycamores into halftime with a 54-37 lead. Indiana State hit its last six of seven field goals in the first half.
 
Belmont cut its deficit down to nine points early in the second half, but ISU went back up by 11 with a pair of Bledson free throws at 16:25. The Bruins responded with a three and a putback dunk to trim the deficit to six at 58-52 with 16:08 to go.
 
The Bruins then went on a quick 6-0 spurt to even things up at 60-all while the Sycamores went five minutes without a field goal until a Cade McKnight jumper at 13:12 followed by a triple to put ISU back up 65-60. McKnight then put up a block for a crucial stop with the Sycamores ahead 69-64.
 
Neese pulled up for a transition three to make it 72-66 at 8:43 before ISU went on a 9-0 run capped by a McCauley triple that pushed the lead to 11 points at 81-70 with 5:52 to go. The Sycamores led 88-83 after a midrange jumper from Neese with 1:33 remaining, and they still held onto an 88-87 lead when they called a timeout after a pair of Belmont free throws with 35.7 on the clock.
 
The Sycamores had a chance to go up by three on a one-and-one with 18 seconds left but missed the first free throw and Belmont secured the rebound. With two seconds on the clock, Jayson Kent was called for a contentious foul that sent Ben Sheppard to the charity stripe where he knocked down both free throws to give Belmont its first lead since the first five minutes of the first half, which was enough for the win.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State outshot Belmont overall in the game 53.6 percent to 50.0 percent but shot 62.5 percent in the first half compared to 41.7 percent in the second. Belmont shot 44.4 percent with four threes in the first half followed by 55.9 percent with eight threes in the second half.
• Indiana State led by 17 at halftime but was outscored 52-34 in the second half.
• The Sycamores were outrebounded 35-32 in the game including 10-4 on the offensive boards. Courvoisier McCauley pulled down a team-high seven boards.
• Robbie Avila and Jayson Kent each posted double figures in the game but combined for 24 points in the first half and then combined for just five points in the second half.

News & Notes

• Xavier Bledson got the start with Cameron Henry out due to a concussion and posted a team-high 20 points for his third 20-point outing of the season and second-straight double-figure scoring game. Both of his first two 20-point games this season came off the bench.
• With his third assist of the day early in the first half, Julian Larry notched his 100th assist of the season. He joins teammate Cameron Henry with that feat this year, and it is the first time two Sycamores have recorded 100 assists in the same season since Matt Renn and Michael Mesner in 2000-01. He finished the game with a team-high six assists.
• Courvoisier McCauley hit three triples tonight and moved into sole possession of second place on Indiana State's all-time list of 3-pointers in a single season with 94. He has hit three or more threes in seven straight games and 20 times total this season.
• Cooper Neese hit three triples for the fourth time this season, all four times coming in the last seven games. He is four 3-pointers away from tying Jordan Printy for fourth place on Indiana State's all-time list of career 3-pointers made.
• The Sycamores hit nine threes in the game to bring their season total to 282 which extends the program record for 3-pointers in a single season.

Up Next
The Sycamores return to the Hulman Center one last time this season when they host Missouri State Sunday, Feb. 26 for senior day. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with the seniors being recognized in a pregame ceremony.
 
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 -