TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball moved to 15-3 on the season and 6-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference with the win over Missouri State Tuesday night, 88-66.

Ryan Conwell led a trio of Sycamores that powered the offensive output inside Hulman Center with 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, tacking on five rebounds and three assists.

Robbie Avila recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 9-for-15 from the field with three triples. Avila recorded a team-high four assists. Teammate Jayson Kent also recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Kent finished 5-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three. Isaiah Swope was the fourth and final Sycamore in double figures with 13 points.

Avila accounted for the first nine points of the Sycamores' 11 to open the game. Six of the nine came from the paint and the final three from the free throw line. The Bears kept it close through the first five minutes, before Conwell went on a personal 7-0 run to open up the Sycamore lead to 20-9 at the 10:53 mark in the first half. In the next four minutes, Missouri State cut the deficit to six points, 29-23, with just under seven minutes remaining in the half. Indiana State closed out the first half on a 7-0 run, including five points from Avila. ISU led at the break 44-30.

Indiana State opened the second half extending the lead to 55-36 with an 11-2 streak, with six points from Conwell. An across-the-board effort for the next ten minutes of the game allowed the Sycamores to keep their distance from the Bears, forcing MSU to remain outside striking distance. The smallest lead from Missouri State in the second half was 15 points coming at the 3:30 mark. Conwell and Kent iced the game with three triples in the final 2:20 of the game to push the Sycamores to the 22-point victory, 88-66.

News & Notes

• Indiana State continues to build the best record in the Coach Josh Schertz era with the 15-3 record.
• ISU is off to its best start at home this season, 8-0, the best home record since the 2019-20 when the Sycamores won its first 10 home games.
• The starting five of Avila, Swope, Conwell, Kent, and Julian Larry combined to score 83 of the 88 points (94.3%).
• Indiana State finished shooting 55.6% from the floor, shooting 55% as a team in back-to-back games. ISU shot 55% in its last game vs Belmont. Before Belmont ISU had not shot better since Nov. 22 vs Pepperdine.
• The Sycamores recorded its lowest turnover mark of the season with 6. The next lowest is 7, which ISU recorded twice: Nov. 21 vs Rice and Nov. 28 vs Southern Illinois.
• Jayson Kent recorded his MVC-leading fifth double-double. Kent has grabbed 10+ rebounds in three of the previous four games.
• Robbie Avila recorded his third double-double of the season, marking back-to-back double-doubles after scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against Belmont.
• During one of the media timeouts, a fan from the stands - Camden Harden - came down to the floor and participated in the EPIC Insurance Putt for Dough. Camden made a full-court putt to win $10,000.

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law


Postgame Radio Interview with Joey O'Rourke and Coach Josh Schertz, Robbie Avila, and Ryan Conwell


Up Next
Indiana State hits the road to battle Murray State on Sunday, January 21. The game will air on ESPN 2 and 105.5 The Legend at 5 p.m. ET from Murray, Ky.

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