CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Indiana State men's basketball moved to 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 13-2 overall with the win Sunday afternoon at Northern Iowa, 77-66.

Jayson Kent led the offense with a huge career day, setting personal highs in points and rebounds. Kent finished with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor, his career high in points in his collegiate career, and added a 5-for-7 effort from the foul line. The junior knocked down three triples for a new season high, tying his total in a Sycamore uniform. On the glass, he grabbed 13 rebounds for a career high marking his fourth double-double of the season.

Robbie Avila also recorded double-digits in rebounds with 10, marking the third time in his career he has finished with 10+ rebounds. En route to the highest plus-minus of the game of 15, Avila scored eight points and tied his career-high with eight assists, also good for the game-high. Isaiah Swope finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Julian Larry and Ryan Conwell rounded out the four total Sycamores who finished with 10+ points, both recording 10 apiece. Masen Miller logged nine points, his second-highest point total of the season, by knocking down a trio of three-pointers.

The Panthers recorded the first basket of the game, followed by the Sycamores ripping off seven-straight within the first two minutes to take the lead. ISU found themselves on top 16-4 at the 13:51 mark, with Kent and Larry combining for 11-of-16 points in the stretch. The Sycamores closed out the first half on a 13-6 run, backed by a 5-for-6 team shooting effort, including a 3-for-4 clip from behind the arc in the stretch. Northern Iowa didn't reach double figures until 8:47 remaining in the first half, going 0-for-10 from three in the entire first half. The Sycamores jumped ahead in the first half by shooting 50% (8-for-16) from deep in the 20 minutes.

The Sycamores kept their distance in the second half, reaching a 15-point lead at the 11:34 mark off a Kent three-pointer. The Panthers made an effort to claw back into the game, cutting the deficit to 60-53 with nine minutes to go, thanks to UNI's Jacob Hutson and Bowen Born combining for a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the foul stripe in a 2:45 span. The trio of Kent, Miller, and Aaron Gray scored 12 of ISU's next 13 points to get the Sycamores back to a 73-59 lead with 2:54 to play. The Sycamores forced the Panthers to shoot 2-of-6 in the final 2:54 to secure the 11-point, 77-66 victory.

News & Notes

• Indiana State is off to its best record under Coach Josh Schertz with the 13-2 overall record.
• Jayson Kent recorded career-highs in points with 24 and rebounds with 13. Kent's three three-pointers beat his career high at ISU. His personal high in his entire collegiate career is set at five.
• Masen Miller 2+ three pointers for the third time this season, knocking down his career high of five against Rice and making a pair of threes against IUPUI.
• Ryan Conwell recorded four steals, breaking his season-high previously of three and matching his high in his collegiate career.
• Six Sycamores made 2+ three-pointers , led by Miller and Kent each with three. Avila, Swope, Larry, and Conwell each recorded two.
• Despite Northern Iowa shooting 1-for-15 from beyond the arc for the game (6.7%), they stuck within striking distance by converting on 21-for-28 from the foul line. UNI's 21 free throws is the third-highest by an opponent this season against the Sycamores (23 by Alabama, 23 by Michigan State). 
• The 1-for-15 three-point effort by UNI is the second-lowest of the season against the Sycamores, as IUPUI finished 0-for-13.

Up Next
Indiana State travels to Drake University on Wednesday for the highly-anticipated matchup between the Sycamores and Bulldogs. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

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