RUSTON, La. - Indiana State men's basketball started their Thanksgiving road trip at the Louisiana Tech MTE with a last-second loss to host Louisiana Tech 75-73, moving to 4-3 on the season. The Sycamores close out play against Alcorn State on Friday, November 28 at 2 p.m. ET.
 
The Sycamores were led by Xavier Hall who notched a season high 17 points. Three other Sycamores added double-digit scoring with Camp Wagner (15), Markus Harding (14), and Ian Scott (12). Scott led the Trees with five boards with Wagner adding an additional four. Harding also added two steals for the Sycamores.
 
In the opening three minutes, both defenses came out strong with just a score of 4-4. In the following minute, the Trees would go on a 6-0 run, to go up 10-4, after several quick layups. The Trees would start 7-of-10 from the field, with all three misses coming outside the arc. The Sycamores would also hold the Bulldogs to going just 5-of-12 in the same time frame.
 
The Bulldogs would look to close the gap and get within two, however layups by Bruno Alocen and Wagner would build a 6-0 lead for the Trees. Both teams would go scoreless for nearly two minutes before Hall would extend the Sycamores lead to eight, 18-10. Over the next six minutes, the Bulldogs would slowly chip away at the Sycamores lead. The Sycamores would go over three minutes without making a field goal, while the Bulldogs were able to make three quick shots in a row to take the lead 26-25. The Bulldogs closed out the half going on a 16-0 run going 8-of-9 from field, while the Sycamores went scoreless in the final five minutes of play and went 0-of-5 from the field during that time. The Bulldogs headed into half with the largest lead of the night, 37-26.
 
The Sycamores came out of the half on a 12-3 run to close the gap to just two points, 40-38, at the first media timeout at 15:59. During that run, Wagner and Hall would combine for nine of the Sycamores' 12 points. The Trees would battle to tie the game back on two different occasions: 40-40 after a pair of free throws by Harding, and 44-44 after an Enel St.Bernard layup. The Bulldogs would quickly respond, going on a 17-7 run to build a 10 point lead with just six minutes left to play, connecting on 8-of-13 from the field in the stretch.
 
As the final media timeout came at 3:28, the Sycamores trailed by four, 65-61. Coming out of the timeout, Hall would find his way to the basket to put the Sycamores behind only two. While the Bulldogs would respond with a quick shot of their own, Scott would throw down a two-handed slam after a drive-and-kick from Hall to keep the deficit at two points. The Bulldogs would attempt to use the clock and hold the lead, going back up four.
 
Hall would quickly find a hole and cut the lead to just one after a big three-pointer. The Bulldogs would once again find the hoop, building the lead to three after drawing a foul. LA Tech gave Indiana State an opportunity to tie the game after committing a lane violation on a made free throw, disallowing the free throw to count.
 
Scott would find an easy layup to be just one point behind with one minute left in regulation. Needing to get possession back, the Sycamores fouled and the Bulldogs capitalized and held a three-point lead with 28 seconds left to play. Wagner would drill a contested triple in the left corner to tie the game with just 23 seconds left to play. Despite a tough defensive front, the Bulldogs found a shot in the paint to take the lead with just one second left. Despite the Sycamores' attempt, they were unable to capitalize on the final possession and fell 75-73.
 
News and Notes

• This is the Sycamores' best shooting percentage of the year (against a DI opponent), shooting 52.7% (29-for-55)
• Tonight's game is second game of the season where the Sycamores have had 10 or fewer turnovers
  • This is the first game that the Sycamores have recorded fewer turnovers than their opponent this season
• With the loss and four players recording double-digit scoring, it marks the first loss for the Sycamores this season when they have had four players with 10+ points
  • This is the second-straight game the Sycamores have had four players score 10+ points
• In the last six minutes of the game:
  • Indiana State outscored LA Tech 22-12, with 15 combined points from Ian Scott and Xavier Hall
  • The Sycamores shot 10-of-11 and committed no turnovers
• Indiana State's last free throw attempts were at the 13:53 mark in the second half
• The Sycamores tied their season low in second chance points with just five in tonight's game
  • The Sycamores also posted a season low of seven bench points
• This is the first time since November 10, 2023, against Alabama that the Sycamores have had less than 24 rebounds (23 tonight)
• The Sycamores recorded a season high 46 points in the paint (against a DI opponent)
  • They also recorded a season high 16 points off turnovers (against DI opponents)
• The Sycamores recorded a season low three steals in tonight's loss
• Xavier Hall recorded a season high of 17 points
  • He recorded a season high of eight made field goals and 13 field goal attempts
• Ian Scott went 100% from both the field (4-4) and the free throw line (4-4) tonight

 
Up Next
The Sycamores close out play at the Louisiana Tech MTE on Friday, November 28, as they take on Alcorn State at 2 p.m. ET.
 
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