EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Indiana State men's basketball picked up its first win against a Division I opponent this season with a 64-55 win on the road against SIUE to improve to 2-1 on the season.
 
Camp Wagner led the Sycamores' offense with 16 points, and Sterling Young added 12. Ian Scott dominated the boards with 13 and added two blocks. Markus Harding also added three blocks on the defensive front, with Wagner chipping in three steals.
 
Indiana State started strong, jumping out to an early 11-4 lead within the first four minutes of play. SIUE attempted to close the gap, but two three-pointers by Wagner and field goals by Harding and Young gave the Trees a 13-point lead nearing the halfway point in the opening half.
 
Both teams would go on a scoring drought, with neither team scoring for nearly two and a half minutes. The Cougars would struggle to close the gap to less than 10, with the Sycamores holding at least a 10-point lead for six minutes.
 
Over the last 8:30 of the half, Indiana State recorded five turnovers that helped SIUE cut into the deficit. With five minutes left in the opening half, the Cougars began to find some momentum and scored 11 unanswered points to tie the game with just 1:38 left to play. They would take their first lead soon after, but it would just be a short-lived, 36-second lead. A field goal by Jayan Walker and a defensive stop to get a shot clock turnover allowed the Sycamores to head into the half tied at 32.
 
Both teams came out of the half fighting for the lead. In the first two minutes of play, there would be two more ties and two lead changes. The Sycamores would quickly respond with a 5-0 run thanks to a three-pointer by Wagner and a basket by Scott.
 
The Sycamores continued to hold a small lead over the Cougars for a majority of the half. Both teams would go on another two-minute scoring drought, but two Young free throws would break the drought and set up the Sycamores to go on a quick 4-0 run and cross the halfway mark of the half with the Trees up 50-39.
 
The Cougars attempted to close the gap; however, they would not get within five, as the Sycamores' offense continued to find the hoop with just about four minutes remaining, leading 54-49. Throughout the rest of the game, the Sycamores scored only one field goal – a layup by Harding – and the other eight points came all from the free throw line.
 
With just one minute remaining in the game, the Sycamores held a seven-point lead, 58-51. The Cougars would score a quick three points, but with just 25 seconds remaining, they would repeatedly send the Sycamores to the line for a chance to regain possession. SIUE fell short, just scoring one point in the final 30 seconds, leading to the Sycamores' victory.
 
News and Notes

• Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, Indiana State has won 18 games scoring 64 points or less, ranging from 64 points down to 53.
• The true road win marked the first for any MVC team this season.
• The Sycamores shot 36.6% from the field (22-for-60) and 23.3% (7-for-30) from the three-point line. They also shot 76.4% (13-for-17) from the charity strip.
  • The 36.6% from the field is the lowest team field goal percentage in a win since February 12, 2022 versus Illinois State when the team shot 34.6% and won 60-57.
  • Indiana State made 10-of-11 free throw attempts in the second half, including a 6-for-6 effort in the final 25 seconds (Xavier Hall with 4, Jayan Walker with 2).
• Ian Scott after Monday night's game is the only player in the MVC averaging double-digit rebounds (10.0). He is tied for second in the league in total offensive rebounds with 10.
• The Sycamores held SIUE to only three made three-pointers (3-for-15), tying for the lowest since Indiana State played Tarleton State in the Bahamas (3-for-12)
• This was only the fourth meeting between the two programs but the first time Indiana State has played in Edwardsville.

 
Up Next
Indiana State travels to Durham, North Carolina on Friday, November 14 to take on the #4/4 Duke Blue Devils.

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