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Indiana State University Athletics

Recap - Missouri State 3.8 - Conwell
59
Missouri St. MOST 17-16,8-12 MVC
75
Winner Indiana St. INS 27-5,17-3 MVC
Missouri St. MOST
17-16,8-12 MVC
59
Final
75
Indiana St. INS
27-5,17-3 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Missouri St. MOST 31 28 59
Indiana St. INS 34 41 75

Game Recap: Basketball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores advance to semifinals in MVC Tournament with win over Missouri State

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – No. 1 Indiana State outlasted a strong effort from No. 9 Missouri State on Friday afternoon with Jayson Kent posting a double-double and four of ISU's five starters scoring double-digits to advance to Saturday's Arch Madness semifinal round following the 75-59 win.
 
Ryan Conwell led all scorers with 20 points and added six rebounds in his inaugural appearance inside the Enterprise Center as the Sycamores broke a 34-31 halftime lead going up by double-digits with an 18-10 run over the first five minutes of the second half in securing the win. 
 
Jayson Kent had 10 of his game-high 14 rebounds in the first half to go with 12 points, while Robbie Avila added 14 points and four assists. Isaiah Swope was the fourth Sycamore in double-digits with 13 points, while Julian Larry narrowly missed out on one of his own finishing with nine points and nine assists in the game.
 
The Sycamores and Bears battled back and forth over the first 20 minutes of the contest before heading into the locker room with a three-point game. Indiana State went up 29-17 with 5:45 remaining in the first half on the back of a 10-0 run highlighted by Kent and Conwell three-pointers for their largest lead of the opening stanza. The Bears responded with a 10-0 run of their own to cut the deficit down to 29-27 over the next three minutes.
 
Indiana State's lead was cut down to one point on two separate occasions over the closing minutes. Donovan Clay converted a three-point play to cut the gap to 31-30 with 1:44 left, while Raphe Ayers made one of two free throws at the 1:21 mark to cut it to 32-31. Kent put the score at 34-31 with a layup on ISU's final possession of the half to send the teams into the break.
 
Coming out of the half, the Sycamores combined to hit their first four shots from the floor with Kent, Larry, and Conwell all hitting three-pointers, while Conwell hit a floater to put the score at 45-38 three minutes into the second half. The lead hit double-digits at 52-41 on Avila's layup off the pass from Xavier Bledson at the 14:56 mark.
 
Missouri State kept the game within two possessions until the eight-minute mark of the second half when Swope's fast-break layup gave ISU the 58-48 lead. The lead never went below double-digits the rest of the way with the Sycamores going up 67-52 on a Conwell three-point play as the Sycamores cruised to the quarterfinal win over the Bears.
 
Bledson finished with seven points and four assists off the bench, while Jake Wolfe provided key minutes down the stretch finishing with two assists and five rebounds.
 
Clay paced Missouri State with 18 points and seven rebounds, while N.J. Benson added 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots for the Bears. Alston Mason was also in double-digits with 12 points in the loss.

News and Notes
  • Indiana State in back-to-back seasons opened Arch Madness with a win.
  • The Sycamores assisted on 82.14% of all field goals made, a season-high.
  • The ISU defense held MSU's leading scorer Alston Mason to only 4-for-14 from the field, with Julian Larry playing a key role in the effort.
  • ISU scored 14 points off 13 turnovers by the Bears, which is slightly higher than the season average of 12.87 entering Friday's game.
  • Indiana State is now 25-2 when at least four Sycamores score in double figures.
  • Julian Larry recorded nine assists, one shy of tying his career high
  • Jayson Kent's double-double was his ninth of the season.
  • Ryan Conwell scored 20+ points in all three games against the Bears this season (25, 24, 20) for 22.33 PPG.
  • Jayson Kent recorded double-doubles in two of three games this season against MSU.
Up Next
Indiana State is back in action tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Enterprise Center. The Sycamores will face No. 4 Northern Iowa.

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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