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Indiana State University Athletics

Murray State trophy picture - team
77
Murray St. MUR 12-19,9-11 MVC
89
Winner Indiana St. INS 26-5,17-3 MVC
Murray St. MUR
12-19,9-11 MVC
77
Final
89
Indiana St. INS
26-5,17-3 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Murray St. MUR 39 38 77
Indiana St. INS 51 38 89

Game Recap: Basketball | | Nick Rush | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores claim first regular season title since 2000 on Senior Day

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball hoisted the regular season trophy on Sunday, winning the Missouri Valley regular season title outright with an 89-77 win on Sunday against Murray State.

The Sycamores finished the regular season 26-5 and 17-3 in the MVC to secure sole possession of first place, projecting as the No. 1 seed for the MVC Tournament next week. That will be released by the conference Monday morning.

Indiana State also broke its own school record in made three-pointers as a team, set last season at 340. With 11 made triples on the day, ISU sits with 341 made threes, a new school record. This record includes postseason play, so the Sycamores will continue to add to this total.

Another program record was broken with the win: most MVC regular season wins. Sunday's win marked No. 17 of the season, and the previous record was 16 set by the 1978-79 team.

Indiana State basketball honored its graduating seniors - Jake Wolfe, Xavier Bledson, Jeremiah Keene, and Alex and Staley Cisneroz.

Ryan Conwell led the way for the Sycamores, scoring 24 points on 7-for-10 from the floor, including a 6-for-7 effort from beyond the arc. He also tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, also dishing out three assists and swiping one pass. Conwell knocked down all four free throws. Robbie Avila scored 23 points shooting 8-for-10 from the field and was perfect from the charity stripe, 7-for-7. He pulled down four rebounds and recorded four assists. 

Both Isaiah Swope and Jayson Kent finished with 14 points. Swope shot 4-for-7 and made three triples, and Kent finished 4-for-8 and recorded four rebounds. Julian Larry chipped in eight points, a rebound and four assists. Xavier Bledson chipped in six points.

Xavier Bledson kicked off the Senior Day game by draining back-to-back three-pointers. Murray State caught back up with six-straight only for Swope to score six-straight to give ISU a 15-8 lead just inside five minutes into the game. ISU scored its first four baskets from the three ball.

The Sycamores took a 10-point lead on a pair of free throws by Kent, but MSU cut the lead to four just before the midpoint of the half, 23-19. After a quick 7-0 run by ISU to get the lead to 32-21, the Sycamores held a steady lead through the first half, with MSU never cutting getting close than eight points. ISU took a 51-39 advantage into the break.

Early in the second half, ISU built a 14-point lead, tying the highest of the game so far, with a Conwell triple moving the score to 56-42. The teams exchanged buckets with the Sycamores still holding a 10-point lead at the halfway point of the second half, 66-56.

In the final ten minutes of the game, Conwell scored seven of ISU's nine points from 9:38 to 5:49, allowing the Sycamores to hold an 11-point, 77-66 lead. The final made three-throw of the night for ISU was Conwell triple, which gave the Trees the 11th three-pointer it needed to break the school record in total made threes by the team. That triple was part of a 10-0 run which allowed ISU to grow a 16-point, 87-71 lead with two minutes to play.

MSU closed the two minutes with a pair of three-pointers and Larry converted two free throws, leading to the ISU 89-77 victory.

News & Notes
  • ISU finished the season averaging 84.5 points per game, which is the highest in the MVC. The last team to average 84.0+ was Bradley in 1988 (92.5 PPG).
  • The Sycamores have led the MVC in field goal percentage, assists, and three-point field goal percentage in back-to-back years, which has never happened in the MVC.
  • Indiana State finished shooting 60.9% from the field, the second-highest percentage of the season (61.3% - February 7 vs Valparaiso).
  • The Sycamores finished 22-for-23 from the free throw line, good for 95.7%, which is the third-highest of the season.
  • Ryan Conwell tied his career high in rebounds with 12, set previously against UIC on February 24. He also recorded his fourth double-double of the season.
  • Ryan Conwell scored 20+ points for the 7th time this season, and Robbie Avila scored 20+ for the 8th time.
  • Robbie Avila has scored 20+ points in three-straight games for the second time this season (1/16 - 1/24).
  • In the last 10 games:
    • Robbie Avila has shot 56.9% from the floor (70-for-123). 
    • Julian Larry has shot 50.6% from the floor (41-for-81).
    • Jayson Kent has shot 57.1% from the floor (36-for-63).
    • Ryan Conwell has shot 40.3% from three-point range (29-for-72). 
    • Ryan Conwell has shot 97.1% from the free throw line (34-for-35).
    • All five usual starters (Avila, Conwell, Swope, Kent, Larry) are averaging 10.0+ points per game: Avila (20.0), Conwell (16.7), Swope (12.7), Larry (10.8), Kent (10.8).
Up Next
Indiana State will travel to St. Louis for the MVC Tournament, from March 7-10 at the Enterprise Center. The Sycamores have locked up a top-four seed, meaning it earned the bye in the first round. Official seedings will be released by the MVC office on Monday, March 4; the Sycamores are projected to earn the No. 1 seed. When the bracket is released, ISU will learn the two teams it could face in the second round of the tournament on Friday.

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law


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.
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