TERRE HAUTE — The Indiana State men’s basketball team was a case study in mixed metaphors in Friday’s season-opening game against Nebraska-Kearney.
The Sycamores slow-burned their way to an 88-58 victory over the Division II Lopers in front of 4,484 at Hulman Center. While the rout was administered gradually through the course of the game, it was a slow burn fueled by much faster tempo than ISU has played with in recent seasons.
“The guys competed better as the game went along. I thought early on we were tight, pressing it a little bit too much,” ISU coach Kevin McKenna said. “We were a little stagnant in our motion still, we have to get better movement and better spacing to create more for our guys. It’ll come. We’re a work in progress.”
Jake Kelly led ISU with 16 points in his Sycamore debut as he was one of five Sycamores who broke double-figure scoring. Harry Marshall had 10 points to go with four assists and four steals. Rashad Reed, who played 20 minutes despite a bruised knee, had 14 points.
ISU’s depth came to the fore. All 10 Sycamores who played got at least 11 minutes of action and no one got more than 31 minutes on the floor. With Dwayne Lathan returning from a NCAA suspension in time for ISU’s Preseason NIT game at LSU on Monday, the Sycamores are happy they have plenty of teammates that can carry the load collectively instead of one Sycamore doing it individually.
“Oh man, it’s a great thing for our team. It’s definitely not a problem being deep with our bench,” said Marshall, who left the game with cramps late in the game. “We can go out and play hard each night and not worry about conserving energy.”
ISU (1-0) led by 14 at halftime and looked slightly out-of-sorts, especially on the offensive end, in the first half. UNK actually led 11-8 early on as ISU made just 3 of 12 from the field to start the game.
ISU got its offensive firepower back via its defense, as the Sycamores’ advantage in speed and athleticism overwhelmed the Lopers. A 16-3 run put ISU up 24-14 as the Sycamores got two of the buckets via turnovers and forced two more UNK giveaways during the run.
ISU would go on to score 21 points off UNK turnovers, as opposed to the four points the Lopers scored off the Sycamores’ six giveaways.
ISU guard Jordan Printy was the one consistent offensive option for the Sycamores in the first half. He made two 3-pointers during the ISU run on his way to an 11-point performance. Printy also had seven rebounds.
“I got into a nice little rhythm there in the first half. We ran a couple of sets and I got a couple of open looks. My teammates did a great job finding me when I was open,” Printy said.
In the second half, ISU was more consistent. UNK cut its deficit to 10 early in the half, but another Printy 3-pointer got ISU back on track. A 14-8 run was capped by Aaron Carter’s steal and bucket at the 14:34 mark to make it 48-30.
ISU would build on the lead from there, doing much of its damage at the line (27 of 36) as the Sycamores consistently attacked the basket, eventually building a lead that peaked at 33. No one made more of sorties to the basket than Kelly. Of Kelly’s 16 points, 10 were scored at the line, as he single-handedly put several Lopers in foul trouble.
Kelly admitted that he’s acclimating to his teammates and the ISU system.
“All of the guys have been really good helping me with plays. Being a point guard and having a whole new set of plays is kind of difficult. I’m coming along, but I’m still a little uncomfortable. I’m thinking about things before I do them, it’s not just instinctive. It won’t take long, though,” Kelly said.
A concern of McKenna’s going into the game was rebounding, and though ISU had a 44-32 edge, the third-year ISU coach didn’t see enough good work on the boards to ease his concerns. Until late in the second half, the Lopers were even with the Sycamores on the boards.
“It’s still a concern. We were longer and more athletic than those guys, I think we got some rebounds because of that. I’m not sure we’re consistently blocking out and going after the ball with two hands. The one timeout I called [in the first half] I saw two guys not go after the ball aggressively. We want to be more more aggressive and not get out-worked for loose balls, on the paint or on the floor,” McKenna said.
Akeem Morissaint led the Lopers with 18 points as he connected on 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
ISU will board a plane for Baton Rouge, La. today as they have two days to prepare for its game at LSU on Monday.
Nebraska-Kearney 58
Player min fg 3pt ft r a pf tp
Sankey 21 1-2 0-0 0-0 8 0 1 2
Parker 28 3-5 0-0 5-9 3 0 3 11
Cruise 24 0-6 0-2 0-0 1 3 2 0
Ridgeway 21 1-6 1-4 0-0 4 2 1 3
Froehlich 13 1-3 0-1 2-2 3 1 4 4
Vandahl 9 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 0 4 3
Morissaint 22 6-11 4-7 2-4 0 1 2 18
Hill 15 0-2 0-0 3-4 1 1 0 3
Mingus 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Deans 18 2-5 1-4 0-0 4 1 3 5
Baker 14 1-1 0-0 2-4 1 0 2 4
Harris 10 2-3 0-0 1-2 3 1 2 5
Totals 18-47 7-21 15-25 32* 10 24 58
Indiana State 88
Player min fg 3pt ft r a pf tp
Richard 23 2-5 0-0 2-4 3 2 1 6
Leitnaker 11 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 2
Marshall 31 5-11 0-2 0-2 3 4 2 10
Printy 27 4-9 3-5 0-1 7 3 0 11
Kelly 26 3-6 0-0 10-10 2 1 4 16
Doluony 17 1-4 1-4 2-2 2 1 4 5
Reed 20 5-7 3-5 1-2 4 2 2 14
Crawford 16 1-6 0-0 6-6 7 0 3 8
Martin 14 3-4 0-0 0-0 4 0 2 6
Carter 15 2-4 0-1 6-9 4 0 0 10
Totals 27-58 7-17 27-36 44* 13 18 88
Halftime score — ISU 34, UNK 20. FG Pct. — UNK .383, ISU .466. 3-pt FG Pct. — UNK .333, ISU .412. FT Pct. — UNK .600, ISU .750. Turnovers — UNK 18, ISU 6. Steals — UNK 2 (Ridgeway, Vandahl), ISU 11 (Marshall 4). Blocks — UNK 1 (Parker), ISU 3 (Crawford 3). (*) Team Rebounds — UNK 3, ISU 7. Att — 4,484.
Next — ISU (1-0) plays at LSU Monday in the opening round of the Preseason NIT.
College
Sycamores place 5 in double figures in season-opening victory
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A time for firsts: SMWC seniors have national title aspirations
Even though St. Mary-of-the-Woods College has won eight national titles in softball in the last 16 years, seniors Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas are among the many current Woods players who have not been part of a national championship team.
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Win over SIU puts Sycamores in first place
As Indiana State’s baseball team tried to climb to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference mountain on Saturday against Southern Illinois, it stood to reason that the air would get more rarefied as they neared the summit.
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Major Clay takes fourth straight MVC high jump title
For the fourth straight year, Indiana State’s Major Clay will climb to the top spot on the awards podium as the Sycamore captured his fourth high jump championship at the 2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
The competition was conducted at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University. -
Edgewood takes Western Indiana Conference golf crown
Edgewood and senior Jackson Cowden took top honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys golf championship played Saturday at Idle Creek.
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North grad wins 10,000 at Big Ten Championships
Terre Haute North alumnus Zach Mayhew ran a Dan McClimon track record at the University of Wisconsin to win the 10,000 meters at the Big Ten Championships.
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Top-seeded Rose-Hulman falls in opener of HCAC Tournament
A couple of Rose-Hulman streaks came to an end Thursday night in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament action, but the home-team jinx looks to be still alive.
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ISU's Ort getting hot at right time for Sycamores
Indiana State’s baseball game notes list game-by-game performance for each Sycamore batter. It lists them box score-style: at-bats, runs, hits and RBI.
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Terre Haute native getting national attention as freshman for Kentucky
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Top seed, home field doesn’t guarantee Rose success
On the surface, serving as host for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament would appear to benefit Rose-Hulman’s No. 1-seeded team, which finished the regular season 27-12 overall and 18-6 in the conference.
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Metro roundup: ISU’s Lucas honored by Missouri Valley again
For the fifth time in the last nine weeks, Indiana State junior catcher Jeremy Lucas has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
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Sycamores top Shockers in 10 innings in MVC series opener
If free baseball is what you want, Indiana State has what you need. For the sixth time in the span of a month, ISU’s series opener went extra innings.
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ISU starting pitchers in rhythm heading into Wichita State series
“Gettting into rhythm” is such an oft-used cliché in sports that it’s hard to hear the term and fight the urge to not let it enter one ear and escape another.
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ISU goes to well too many times
Perhaps the most unnecessary pursuit for a Wabash Valley sports fan during the now-completed weekend was watching the first few innings of nonconference college baseball between Indiana State and visiting Nebraska-Omaha.
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ISU baseball living on the edge
Indiana State’s baseball team got its game against Nebraska-Omaha in Saturday between morning and evening rain showers. But in the wake of another walk-off 3-2 victory against the struggling Mavericks, one might be forgiven if they felt the Sycamores are walking between the raindrops a bit.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Central baseball improves to 10-2
North Central lost a 7-1 game to Vincennes Rivet, and then Nolan Kinnett pitched the Thunderbirds to victory, adding a double and three RBIs against Riverton Parke in a pair of high school baseball games on Saturday.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Jenkins, Goatee win inaugural Rush the Punter 5K
Steve Jenkins and TaPring Goatee were the 5K winners in the inaugural Rush the Punter event on Saturday at Fairbanks Park.
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Providing perspective: ISU’s vets have 2009 as window into 2012
Indiana State’s baseball team has reached dizzying heights, but if the Sycamores have any trouble keeping their feet on the ground, they can turn to three teammates who can remind them how dangerous it can be to get complacent.
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Missouri State wins MVC golf championship as expected
Missouri State was a unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship, the pollsters citing their experience with four upperclassmen.
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Uphill Battle: ISU 23 strokes back of MVC leader No. Iowa
Indiana State maintained sixth place after two rounds of the Missouri Valley Conference Golf Championships, but the Sycamores face a tough challenge to move into the top half of the league after today’s final round at the Country Club of Terre Haute.
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Enter Cummings, exit McWhorter
All it took was a stat sheet to show Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing the glaring need the Sycamores had as they built their 2013 team.
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TH golf community steps up for ISU
The Terre Haute golf community and the Indiana State women’s golf program can be a thriving partnership, and this week’s Missouri Valley Golf Championships have put that potential on display.
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ISU blue after football scrimmage
One of Indiana State football coach Trent Miles’ stated goals for Saturday’s Blue-White spring football scrimmage was to get through the game unaffected by injuries.
As the 12-minute running clock ticked down — one of the concessions made by the football staff to speed the scrimmage up and get players off the field unscathed — it appeared ISU would make it through its spring game more-or-less unscathed.
But on the last play of the scrimmage, disaster struck. -
Hosting Missouri Valley Conference meet, ISU golf heading in right direction under Towne
It’s been a loooooong time in the making.
When the Indiana State women’s golf program was resurrected in 2005, it had already been on a 28-year hiatus. Since then, the Sycamores have enjoyed modest success, but have not hosted a golf match or invitational.
That changes beginning today — in a big way. -
ISU golfers step up after injury sidelines top player
Indiana State will be missing its best player, junior Reece Feducia, in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championships at the Country Club of Terre Haute from today through Tuesday.
Feducia was the team’s medalist in their first five tournaments of the fall season, but is still recovering from complications due to gall bladder surgery. She was all-MVC a year ago, finishing tied for third in last year’s MVC tournament. -
Walterhouse blast keys ISU to victory vs. Dallas Baptist
Ryan Walterhouse couldn’t have picked a better time to get a pleasant surprise.
The Indiana State senior lofted what looked like a routine towering fly to right field with two out in the bottom of the first inning Saturday at Bob Warn Field only to see it disappear — maybe a yard fair, possibly less than that beyond the fence — for a three-run homer that was the big blow in the Sycamores’ 6-3, series-tying victory over Dallas Baptist. -
ISU baseball drops weekend series opener to DBU
Indiana State and Dallas Baptist are playing this weekend at Warn Field for the opportunity to position themselves for a NCAA baseball tournament at-large bid.
The first statement was made by the visiting Patriots. - ISU football hopes to survive as well as evaluate
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU's Padgett breaks school record in 10,000 meters
Indiana State senior Craig Padgett broke a five-year-old school record in the 10,000 meters late Thursday night and junior Albaro Escalera ran the third fastest 10,000 meters in school history at Hilmer Lodge Stadium during the 54th Mt. SAC Relays.
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Padgett breaks ISU track record in 10K
Indiana State's Craig Padgett ran a time of 29 minutes, 38.70 seconds to set a new school record in the 10,000-meter run.
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