NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Indiana State men's basketball secures its sixth-straight victory and the regular-season sweep over Belmont University with the Wednesday night win, 78-72, from the Curb Event Center in Nashville.

Isaiah Swope led the scoring for Indiana State with 17 points, knocking down five three-pointers while recording three rebounds and three assists. Jayson Kent recorded a double-double on a near-perfect night with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Kent shot 5-for-6 with his lone miss coming from beyond the arc.

Robbie Avila scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and tied the game-high with five assists. Ryan Conwell also tallied 12 points, recording five rebounds and dishing out two assists. Julian Larry rounded out the five Sycamore scorers in double figures with 10 points, also securing five rebounds and three assists. Xavier Bledson chipped in eight points and Aaron Gray with five in only six minutes of action.

After the Sycamores jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, the Bruins scored six-straight to take the lead. Avila scored eight of ISU's first 10 points with a triple and by converting all three free-throw attempts. ISU's offense slowed while Belmont got hot, exploding for a 23-2 run to take a 31-12 lead just halfway through the first half.

The Sycamores ended the streak with seven-straight points from Swope, Gray, and Bledson, which started the run for Indiana State. ISU closed out the first half in the final 10 minutes outscoring the Bruins 25-14. In the stretch, Swope accounted for nine points, Gray scored all five of his points, Conwell for five, and Kent for four. Swope knocked down a three-pointer just before time expired in the half to cut to a 45-37 game at the break.

Indiana State continued chipping into the deficit to open the second half, bringing the ballgame back within three points, 54-51, with 15:55 on the clock in the second half. ISU reclaimed the lead at 14:41 after an Avila offensive board and a putback layup, and at the 12-minute mark the game was tied once again at 59 apiece. 

The game continued to grind. From the 54-51 lead by the Bruins at 15:55 to the 4:12 mark, neither team led by more than three points - until Avila drained a pair of free throws with 4:12 to play to give the Sycamores a 73-68 lead. After a missed shot attempt by ISU, Larry tipped out an offensive rebound leading to Swope banking in a clutch three-pointer with 3:19 remaining to keep the Sycamores at a six-point advantage, 76-70. Belmont followed with a bucket, but both teams went scoreless until Bledson iced the game with a pair of free throws with nine seconds to play to give the Sycamores the 78-72 victory.

News & Notes

• Indiana State continue building the best record in the Coach Josh Schertz era with a 19-3 overall record and a 10-1 MVC record.
• Outside of the first 10 minutes of the game, ISU outscored the Bruins 66-41. This scoring run began with Belmont held a 31-12 lead.
• Indiana State shot 85%+ from the free-throw line for the third-straight game. ISU knocked down 18-of-21 attempts, accounting for 23.1% of the 78 points. ISU has also shot at least 20 free throw attempts in four of the last five games.
• Jayson Kent recorded his third-straight double-double and fourth in his last five games. In those last five games, Kent is averaging 12.8 PPG and 11.2 RPG.
• Jayson Kent and Julian Larry led the second-half offense for the Sycamores. Kent scored eight points on a perfect 2-for-2 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Larry scored all of his 10 points in the second half (3-for-3), recorded all five rebounds in the final 20 minutes, and committed zero turnovers after tallying three in the first half.
• Xavier Bledson has been 2-for-2 from the free throw line in the last four games. In the three most recent wins (Belmont, Bradley, and UIC) Bledson's free throws have come in crunch time to help ice the victories for ISU. 
• Aaron Gray's five points is the most he scored for the Sycamores this season, making both shot attempts from the floor.
• Isaiah Swope has made five three-pointers in two of the previous three contests.
• Julian Larry's five rebounds are his most since he snagged his season-high of six on December 5 vs Northern Illinois. 
• With the largest deficit for ISU in the game being 19, this was the first time since February 1, 2023 at Evansville that the Sycamores rallied from a 10+ point deficit to win the game.
• ISU allowed Belmont to shoot only five free throw attempts, the second-lowest mark of the season (four vs Evansville). 

Up Next
Indiana State returns to Hulman Center on Saturday, February 3 in the highly-anticipated contest against Drake University. The game has already been announced as a sellout, with student tickets still available for ISU students to claim with their student ID. Saturday's game tips at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and 105.5 The Legend.

Saturday's game takes part during alumni weekend. At halftime, Indiana State will be retiring Jersey No. 44 for John Sherman Williams.

The February 3 game is also one of two annual Blackout Cancer games at Indiana State. The Sycamores will wear special black jerseys with pink striping as their official game uniform. Proceeds from the February 3 game will support the Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center here at Indiana State with funding going toward the continued efforts in creating a premier training center for the next generation of cancer researchers. Fans encouraged to wear black as the Sycamores take on UIC for the game on February 24.

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore 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 the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.