SLOW START TOO MUCH FOR SYCAMORES TO OVERCOME, FALL TO MSU, 84-74

SLOW START TOO MUCH FOR SYCAMORES TO OVERCOME, FALL TO MSU, 84-74

Credit Source: Indiana State University Athletics

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — The Indiana State men’s basketball team stumbled out of the gate in its first Missouri Valley Conference road game at Missouri State, trailing from the opening tip and never able to recover, falling 84-74 to the Bears at JQH Arena Saturday night.

 

Despite a second half that saw the Sycamores outscore the Bears 44-34, it ultimately wasn’t enough to get the road victory. ISU cut the MSU lead to 10 points with just 1:20 remaining in the game, but ran out of time and could get no closer.

 

The Valley’s back-to-back conference schedule has Indiana State and Missouri State set for the second of their two contests Sunday, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. ET. The game can be found on ESPN3.

 

Senior Tyreke Key tied a season-high of 21 points in the contest while pulling down a team-high 7 rebounds, while junior Cooper Neese showed his scoring prowess for a third consecutive game, notching 19 points. Sophomore Tre Williams battled foul trouble throughout but finished the game with nine points and six rebounds.

 

Missouri State was led by dynamic duo Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim, who had 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Prim also added 11 rebounds for his first doube-double of the season.

 

Indiana State fell behind early and could never recover, as Missouri State dominated the first half, shooting 71% (22-of-31) from the floor and 50% (5-of-10) from behind the three-point line. Indiana State was able to climb back into the contest because it picked up the defensive tempo, forcing 18 turnovers in the game.

 

Though a better second half performance, ISU still allowed MSU to shoot 58.2% (32-of-55) from the floor for the game compared to its 37.9% (25-of-66). The Sycamores outpaced the Bears from the three-point line, knocking down 39.1% (9-of-23) compared to 36.4% (8-of-22), and, as has been the trend for most of the season, Indiana State finished better at the charity stripe than Missouri State, shooting 83.3% (15-of-18) compared to a still-impressive 80% (12-of-15).

 

Indiana State finished the game with more bench points (18-14) and second chance points (13-8), but the biggest advantage in the game came in the paint, where Missouri State won 44-20.

For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.