TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball recorded its second-straight win on Saturday in front of a sold-out Hulman Center crowd, 88-73, against UIC.
 
Robbie Avila led the way for Indiana State, scoring 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He recorded four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Ryan Conwell was the next leading scorer for the Trees with 18 points on 6-for-11 from the floor, also recording a double-double with 11 rebounds. Conwell chipped in three assists, two blocks, and a steal. Jayson Kent brought in another solid effort with 16 points on 5-for-9 from the floor, securing eight rebounds and three steals.
 
Julian Larry recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 assists, also grabbing five rebounds. Xavier Bledson tallied nine points, going 4-for-7 shooting in the game, while Isaiah Swope added eight points.
 
Indiana State and UIC exchanged buckets to start the game, with Indiana State knocking down 50% of its shots through the first media timeout at 14:24 holding a 10-7 lead. The Sycamores slowly expanded the lead through the next five minutes. UIC brought the score to 12-11 in favor of ISU, but the Sycamores went on a 10-1 run with Larry, Kent, Conwell, and Bledson all contributing. This gave ISU its first double-digit lead, 22-12, with 10:36 remaining.
 
Avila scored four straight and Kent followed with a layup just inside the seven to play in the half to push the lead to 13. Another run from Avila, Larry, Conwell, and Swope – this time a 10-2 spurt – from 5:57 to 2:49 brought Indiana State to a 40-23 lead.
 
The Sycamores held a 45-29 lead at the break, shooting 51.6% from the field and holding UIC to only 37% from the floor.
 
Indiana State earned its first 20-point lead of the game early in the second half, courtesy a personal 5-0 streak by Swope with a triple and pair of free throws. After the free throws, ISU led 50-29 with 18:48. From opening the half through 9:40 to play, ISU held its lead anywhere from 17 to 22 points.
 
UIC slowly made its way back into the game. The Flames cut the deficit to 13 points, but Conwell made a layup and Avila converted a three-point play to go up 76-58. UIC scored nine unanswered points to bring the lead to 76-67 with 515 to play, the first time the lead went under 10 points for ISU since the 5:57 mark in the first half.
 
Indiana State didn't allow that to last long. Five straight from Conwell and Avila brought the lead back to 14 points. Larry brought the crowd to their feet with a massive one-handed slam over a Flames defender, then Avila followed up with a huge three-pointer with 1:50 to play. That basket was the last one of the game, giving ISU an 88-73 victory and the regular-season sweep over UIC.
 
News & Notes

• Indiana State still holds the best record in the Coach Josh Schertz era.
• Tonight's win marked regular season win No. 24. The 2023-24 Sycamores have now posted the highest total of wins since the 1978-79 season (33). There have been two 23-win seasons since the 1978-79 team, with those two seasons including any postseason victories (22-23, 13-14).
• With Julian Larry dishing out 10 assists, it marks the eighth time this season that an MVC men's basketball player recorded a 10+ assist game. ISU has two of those eight games after Xavier Bledson recorded 11 in the season opener.
• Ryan Conwell grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, only the third time this season he has recorded 10 or more.
• With four of the five starters scoring 10+ points, this marks the 20^th time that ISU has had at least four players finish in double digits.
• ISU finished 88% from the free throw line (22-for-25), the eighth time in 10 games Indiana State has shot 80% or better from the line.
• Robbie Avila scored 22 points, his 10^th career game 20+ points. He tied his career high in free throws made, knocking down all nine.
• With 42 points in the paint, ISU now has only six games with 40+ scored in the paint.
• Indiana State recorded a season-high 11 steals.

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law


Postgame Press Conference Presented by Dorsett Automotive


Up Next
Indiana State heads to Evansville for a midweek contest on Wednesday, set for 8 p.m. ET.

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