TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball stays perfect at home this season with a 75-67 win versus Drake University and moved to 20-3 overall and 11-1 in the Missouri Valley, including the 10-0 record this season at Hulman Center.
 
On his birthday, Jayson Kent put himself in historic company with a 20-rebound performance, breaking his career high set only two games ago. Kent tied six former Sycamores with his rebounding performance for eighth place, tying Bob Barker, Carl Macon, Johnny Edwards, Jayson Wells, Jim Cruse, and Larry Bird.
 
Ryan Conwell led the offensive scoring for Indiana State with 21 points and seven rebounds, including a 10-for-10 effort from the charity stripe. Robbie Avila closely followed with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep. Avila added a game-high four assists and game-high two blocks.
 
Julian Larry scored 16 points, finishing 7-for-10 from the floor, his highest scoring mark since his 19 points versus Tennessee State. Isaiah Swope chipped in 11 points. Larry 
 
Indiana State opened the game 9-1 and took that lead into the first media timeout. ISU worked to a 17-5 lead off five-straight from Conwell and an Avila triple. ISU led 28-17 with 7:23 on the clock. In the next 5:14, Drake used a 14-3 run to trail by only two, 33-31, with 1:51 left in the half. ISU and DU alternated baskets before the Sycamores took a 37-36 lead into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Drake took its first lead of the game off a layup in their first possession. The game went back-and-forth with a massive block by Conwell that led to an easy Larry layup, a Drake triple, then back-to-back scorers to give ISU a 47-42 advantage.
 
The battle was tied at 42 a piece before ISU went on a quick 10-2 run to lead 52-44. Drake held a three-point deficit at the midpoint of the second half and took the lead at 5:36 on an and-one, leading 60-57. The back-and-forth battle continued until Drake tied the ballgame at 67-67 on a three-point jumper. After a pair of missed free throws by Drake, Avila drained a massive three from the left wing at the 50 second mark to go up 70-67.
 
With the three-point lead and Drake with the ball, Tucker DeVries attempted a jumper from the right side. Kent came up with the eventual game-sealing block with 34 seconds left, followed by Conwell grabbing the rebound, getting fouled, and knocking down the two free throws to give the Sycamores a 72-67 lead. Xavier Bledson and Conwell combined to convert three additional free throws to give Indiana State the 75-67 victory.

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law - Coach Josh Schertz



Postgame Radio Interview Presented by Dorsett Automotive - Joey O'Rourke


News & Notes

• Indiana State continued the streak of the best record in the Coach Josh Schertz era including both overall and MVC record.
• ISU improved to a perfect record at home this season at 10-0.
• The sellout-crowd showed up for the second-straight game, with 8,332 fans in attendance. 
• Jayson Kent has had 10+ rebounds in seven of the last nine games, including six double-doubles in the stretch.
• Robbie Avila has scored 18+ points in the last five-of-six games. The 6-10 center has four double-doubles in the last seven games. Avila also tied his career-high in three-pointers with four.
• Ryan Conwell is a perfect 20-for-20 from the line in the last four games. Since the beginning of 2024 (10 games), Conwell is 39-for-44 (88.6).

Gameday Celebrations
Indiana State retired jersey No. 44 honoring John Sherman Williams. The 1986 graduate and 2008 Hall of Fame inductee was in attendance to see the banner drop, revealing the fifth retired number in the men's basketball program. Williams is second all-time in ISU history in career points (2,374) and 10th in career rebounds (629). He recorded 81 consecutive games scoring in double figures and ranked fifth in the NCAA in scoring (25.38) in 1985-86. He would go on to play in the CBA for the Rockford Lightning (1986-87) and the Wyoming Wildcatters (1987), while also playing in the WBL (1987-91) and with Athletes in Action (1991-95).

The 2024 baseball and softball teams were recognized during the games. Both teams are scheduled to begin their respective seasons in the coming weeks.

Up Next
Indiana State stays at home this week to host Valparaiso on Wednesday, February 7 at 7 p.m.

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.