HONOLULU —
Hakaka … it’s the Hawaiian word for “fight.”
Not unlike a Hawaiian volcano roaring to life, Indiana State’s men’s basketball team was able to summon its inner Hakaka on Saturday against Mississippi in the opening game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
It took overtime to decide it, but ISU’s inspired play had its just reward. The Sycamores held off the once-beaten Rebels and emerged with an 87-85 roller-coaster ride of a victory at the Stan Sheriff Center.
“We had the will to win. We grinded on them. It’s kind of funny, our tour guide at Pearl Harbor said that, ‘grinding is eating. … Grind on them’. That’s kind of been our motto out here,” ISU guard Jake Odum said.
ISU will play No. 18 San Diego State in a Diamond Head Classic semifinal at 5 p.m. today. The Aztecs dropped San Francisco 80-58 in another first round game.
Manny Arop led ISU (6-3) with 27 points as all five Sycamores’ starters reached double-figure scoring. Jake Odum had 16 points and eight assists.
Perhaps most welcome of all for ISU was the play of ISU big man Justin Gant. The Terre Haute native had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Along with Jake Kitchell, he helped the Sycamores face down mighty Ole Miss big men Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner.
“We wanted to get rebounds and grind them out. I felt like we did that,” Gant said. “You have to give respect to their big-time post players. We had to make them take a tough shot and then box them out.”
Ole Miss — ranked 10th in the nation in rebounds — had only a 46-45 rebounding edge.
“I have to give a lot of credit to our big men. Coming into this game, we knew this team would be a handful on the glass. Our big guys just came to battle. They took the fight to them,” Arop said. “It inspired us. It definitely inspired me.”
The inspiration didn’t stop there. Dawon Cummings – who had 10 points – chased Ole Miss gunner Marshall Henderson and made it difficult for him to get too hot. Henderson scored 27, but he needed 23 attempts to get there.
R.J. Mahurin was ISU’s other double-figure scorer with 12 points.
“Our bigs had a job they had to do. The guards had to match up with shooters. It was a great team win. Every person played their role and that’s how we got it done,” Odum said.
The game got off to a lively start as both teams started hot and played to a 14-14 standoff.
Ole Miss averaged 81.6 points per game entering Saturday’s contest, and it appeared the Rebels were well on their way again as a 10-0 run gave the Rebels a 24-14 advantage at the 11:08 left.
But instead of caving in, the Sycamores steeled themselves and punched back.
Arop got the Sycamores pointed in the right direction with a traditional three-point play at 10:11 to end the Ole Miss run. Arop then hit a 3-pointer and two more foul shots to trim ISU’s deficit to 26-22.
Jarvis Summers hit a free throw at 8:57 to make it 27-22, but the Rebels wouldn’t score again until the 2:33 mark.
ISU, on the other hand, couldn’t stop scoring … and the production was spread throughout the team. Mahurin, Gant, Kitchell, Khristian Smith, Cummings and Jake Odum scored in succession to fuel a 15-0 ISU surge.
ISU also maintained its run without Odum on the floor. ISU ultimately put together a 23-3 run, and a good portion of it was compiled with Cummings, Kitchell, Gant, Smith and Devonte Brown on the floor.
“It’s really going to be a key for us as we go down through the season. We ride Jake like a dog. He gets so tired and he competes so hard. Dawon is really coming along. Devonte’s minutes will keep going up if he keeps away from turnovers, but he can really defend,” ISU coach Greg Lansing said.
Shell-shocked Ole Miss recovered a bit by the end of the half, but ISU still enjoyed its largest lead — 44-33 — at halftime. The Sycamores shot 46.9 percent and 55.6 percent from 3-point range in the first half.
The second half was a roller coaster ride. Ole Miss re-asserted itself inside and wiped out ISU’s halftime lead, but ISU punched back again.
ISU gradually rebuilt its advantage and had a 69-61 advantage with 6:09 left.
Ole Miss (8-2) rallied again and tied the game with 4:30 left. ISU seemed to have enough to carry the day when Cummings hit a three-pointer at the death of the shot clock at 2:13 and when Odum made a free throw with 1:52 left to amass a 75-70 lead.
But the Rebels weren’t done. After slicing the ISU lead to three, a turnover gave Ole Miss a free possession and Summers drained a 3-pointer to tie it.
An Odum turnover with 48 seconds left gave Ole Miss a chance to take the lead, but the Sycamores got the stop and overtime would be needed.
Ole Miss took its first lead since the first half with a bucket on the first possession of overtime, but Gant answered with two buckets and Arop tipped in an Odum miss to make it 81-77. ISU’s overtime lead peaked at six, but the Sycamores had to weather yet another Rebels’ run.
At 85-80, Henderson stole the ball from Odum and later got loose for a long three to make it 85-83. But Odum hit a pair of free throws with 11.1 seconds left to finally put the Rebels in their grave.
“The first half [comeback] really helped us in overtime. We got down 10 and we answered the bell. We played awfully well at both ends of the floor. We knew it would tighten up. We didn’t always play smart, but we played hard,” Lansing said.
The scenario was similar to that ISU had against New Mexico on Dec. 4 at Hulman Center. In that case, the Lobos pulled away for a 77-68 victory. Not this time.
“Our focus on defense was better. Against New Mexico we got away from the gameplan, but here, we stuck with it and did what we wanted to do,” Gant said.
ISU has now won two in a row against SEC competition. The Sycamores won at Vanderbilt last year.
GANT VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWBj8PJXsO4
ODUM VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuGh4WUvMWU
AROP VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ocvwsyxUw
Indiana State University
Related Photos
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Indiana State's Justin Gant puts up a shot against Ole Miss's Murphy Holloway during the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Saturday at Stan Sheriff Center. (Special to the Tribune-Star/Jay Metzger)
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VIDEOS: Indiana State fights past Ole Miss in overtime at Hawaii
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Bradley ends 16-game MVC losing streak against ISU
Momentum was the only thing riding on Indiana State’s baseball game against Bradley on Friday. With a five-game winning streak going, ISU wanted to keep the good vibes going into next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
ISU couldn’t do it. -
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
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Behind 16 hits and Manaea's pitching, ISU beats Bradley
Indiana State’s baseball team rode a wild ride of emotion on Thursday.
First came the public announcement that Bob Warn Field would host the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Later, Sean Manaea’s availability to pitch ISU’s series opener against Bradley was in doubt. -
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
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ISU baseball team builds on success with 14-2 rout
Indiana State’s baseball victory over Alcorn State on Friday would take on more meaning Saturday if the Sycamores could build momentum and pick up on the good work they did in Friday’s ninth-inning rally.
Mission accomplished.
The Sycamores were aggressive from the opening inning at the plate and starting pitcher Devin Moore gave them eight valuable and effective innings on the mound as ISU defeated Alcorn State 14-2 at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a really good experience for everybody. It felt great to finally come out here and put some things together. It’s also really nice when your offense puts a lot of runs on the board,” Moore said.
Moore’s eight innings of work were as valuable as gold to an ISU team that is short on quality arms due to injury and ineffectiveness. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and one of the two runs he conceded was unearned. -
ISU earns badly-needed win
Alcorn State’s baseball team might be ranked in the bottom 10 in RPI and Indiana State might have never lost to a Southwestern Athletic Conference team. So it wouldn’t appear that a quality win was in the offing when Alcorn State visited Bob Warn Field on Friday.
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ISU’s Mascari and Hope win MVC track & field titles
Indiana State produced two champions during the opening day of action in the Missouri Valley Conference track and field championships Friday at Drake. Freshman John Mascari, a Terre Haute native, won the men’s 10,000-meter race and Nicole Hope won the women’s pole vault for the second time in three seasons.
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ISU pole vault tradition continues with help from its author
Pole vault is track and field for the adrenaline junkie, Indiana State senior Nicole Hope proclaimed during a recent practice at Marks Field.
To catapult oneself about 14 feet into the air with a large $500 fiberglass pole on a daily basis is a risky endeavor.
“We have to be fearless. You can’t be afraid at all,” said Hope, who has also catapulted herself into the NCAA’s elite in the event, ranking 15th in the NCAA with her leap of 13-feet, 9 1/4. -
Lansing looking for more home games for next fall
Indiana State’s men’s basketball team is looking for a few good games.
Home games that is.
The Sycamores have filled in most of the blanks in their nonconference schedule, but as ever, ISU coach Greg Lansing would like to visit the friendly confines of Hulman Center a bit more often. -
ISU baseball gets back into rhythm with victory
Baseball is a rhythm game. With contests every day or five times a week in the case of many college programs, you have the chance to build on success or wallow in a slump.
Mother Nature took that rhythm away from Indiana State’s team last week. After a 7-1 loss to Indiana on April 24, ISU was supposed to play a three-game series at Tennessee-Martin, but it was wiped out by rain.
So the rhythm was disturbed, but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
ISU was in a five-game losing streak before its unintended vacation and the Sycamores made a move in the right direction Wednesday with a 7-0 win over DePauw at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a disappointing weekend. We went all the way down to Tennessee and didn’t get to play. We sat around in the hotel room. We came here and it was still raining. It was nice to get out and see some live pitching,” ISU center fielder Landon Curry said. -
Metro roundup: ISU hands out spring awards
The Indiana State University athletic community, along with family, friends and fans, paused Tuesday night to honor the spring sports teams at the Terre Haute Savings Bank Spring Sports Banquet.
Most of the ISU teams are still in competition with the baseball team having 13 games left of its regular-season schedule before beginning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament May 21, the softball team with just three games left of the docket this coming weekend against Southern Illinois and the track and field program with just one more meet before beginning its postseason events.
The ISU women’s golf team is the team that has ended at this time, with the group recording a sixth-place finish at the MVC championships one week ago. -
Indiana State loses 2 in MVC softball
Indiana State aspired to upset Illinois State to get at least a doubleheader split in Missouri Valley Conference softball Thursday at Price Field as the Sycamores opened an eight-game season-ending homestand.
Paige Schreiner hit a two-run blast over the left-field fence in the fifth inning and junior Shelby Wilson delivered a sizzling RBI triple down the right-field line in the sixth as ISU ended the day playing well against the league’s highest-scoring offense.
The result was still a 5-3 loss to the Redbirds (26-18, 11-6 Missouri Valley Conference) as freshman Halle Humphrey gave up four runs in the first two innings. Humphrey, called upon to pitch the opener as well — she’s the only full-time pitcher remaining on the team — gave up six runs and eight hits as the Sycamores dropped a 6-1 game to start the day. -
ISU, MVFC brace for change at FCS football level
It seemed so far-fetched.
Internet rumors circulated that Indiana State had been approached by the Sun Belt Conference to bring the Sycamores’ football team into the Sun Belt’s fold.
The Sun Belt is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision. Bowl football. Big boy football … and all it entails.
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ISU football in good spirits after healthy Spring Game
Was Saturday afternoon’s weather an omen for Indiana State football as the Sycamores wrapped up spring practice with the annual Blue-White Game at Memorial Stadium? After several practices conducted in less-than-perfect conditions, they’d like to think so.
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Loyola ready to take big step
Loyola University and the Missouri Valley Conference took their first steps together Friday and the MVC is hoping the Ramblers don’t have to take too many baby steps before they become a competitive part of the conference.
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Sanford wraps up first spring with ISU
The final day of Indiana State football’s first Mike Sanford experience is upon the Sycamores.
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Lansing excited about Etherington's signing with Sycamores
The spring signing period for men’s basketball is usually a time to use available scholarships to load up on junior college additions and transfers.
To find a diamond-in-the-rough at the high school level who can give you four years? That’s harder to come by. -
Creighton sweep puts ISU in thick of things
In a difficult early-season Missouri Valley Conference schedule, Indiana State took its lumps. Unenviable back-to-back trips to contenders Missouri State and Wichita State had ISU reeling with five straight MVC losses eight days ago.
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Second City in the Valley: Loyola joins the MVC
For the first time in its history, the Missouri Valley Conference will have a home in the Second City.
The Chicago Tribune confirmed Saturday via a Loyola University source that the Ramblers will replace Creighton as the MVC’s 10th team. Loyola — a member of the Horizon League — will join the MVC effective July 1.
Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman — who was part of the MVC search committee that scouted potential replacements for Creighton — confirmed Sunday that the Ramblers were in the MVC loop. -
Sycamore baseball holds off Creighton rally
By his own estimation, Indiana State baseball coach Rick Heller has been involved in close to 2,000 baseball games. If anyone has seen it all on the field, he’d be as good a candidate as any.
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Devin Moore pitches gem in 6-1 victory over Creighton
A hip injury suffered by Indiana State ace starting pitcher Sean Manaea shuffled the Sycamores’ starting rotation for the second weekend running as it opened a Missouri Valley Conference home series against Creighton on Friday.
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Sanford gets 2nd look at Sycamores
In the immediate aftermath of a practice, game, or in Friday’s case for Indiana State, a scrimmage, most football coaches defer to the film to paint a true picture of what was and wasn’t done. ISU coach Mike Sanford is no different. With the flurry of activity on both sides of the ball, it’s hard to get a true evaluation of anything watching it live.
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ISU center FN Lutz glad to be back in the middle of things
For someone who missed an entire season due to a knee injury, Indiana State center FN Lutz has certainly kept himself visible since then.
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU's Brandon Pounds the top collegian in Sea Ray relays
Indiana State senior Brandon Pounds was the top collegian in the men’s hammer throw and fellow senior Felisha Johnson opened up the Sycamores’ three-day competition at the University of Tennessee’s Sea Ray relays with a second-place finish in the women’s hammer throw.
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Stealing records: ISU softball’s offense gaining momentum
The Indiana State softball offense is no juggernaut, but the fog may be clearing on a program that has had a long history of struggles with few signs of consistent winning.
Explosive, dedicated athletes like Morgan Allee and Megan Stone are two reasons to believe this group of Sycamores can spark a turnaround.
The Sycamores are scoring an average of 3.1 runs per game while also ranking in the middle of the Missouri Valley Conference pack in hits and batting average. But the Sycamores are on pace to break the school record for on-base percentage as they lead the MVC in walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifice bunts and stolen bases.
Allee, with 17 regular-season games to go, broke the school record for stolen bases in a season Tuesday against IUPUI and is among the 10 best in the NCAA. Her total of 30 makes up almost half of ISU’s 74.
“I’m so big [that] they think I won’t go. It works out well,” the stocky shortstop said. -
ISU’s QB battle
Quarterback battles come in all shapes and sizes, but one could forgive Indiana State’s Mike Perish, Robert Tonyan Jr. and Trent Lancaster if they feel a bit more beleaguered than your average signal-caller.
Not only is the trio fighting for the right to be named ISU’s starter by the Sycamores’ football opener Aug. 29 at Indiana University, but all three also are trying to learn a new offense, they’re acclimating themselves to new coach Mike Sanford’s different way of running things, and they’re trying to maintain harmony amongst each other, so whoever the ultimate winner is can effectively lead the team without angst.
All of it is playing out during ISU’s spring practice, and so far, none of the quarterback candidates have separated themselves from the pack. -
Sycamores wrap up season sweep of Purdue in baseball
Jordan Pearson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and all nine position starters for the Indiana State baseball team recorded at least one hit, leading the Sycamores to a 10-5 victory and a season sweep of Purdue in front of 679 fans Tuesday at Bob Warn Field.
ISU claimed its second consecutive game and improved to 14-13 overall, while Purdue dropped to 11-19. The Sycamores are 4-1 against the Big Ten Conference this season after sweeping their two-game series with the Boilermakers and winning two out of three at Minnesota in mid-March.
ISU and Purdue combined for nine runs over the first three innings as the Sycamores took a 5-4 lead. Pearson (single), Mike Fitzgerald (single), Tyler Wampler (one-run single), Landon Curry (single) and Cody Zimmerman (two-run single) tallied five consecutive hits with one out in the bottom of the second inning as ISU scored four runs in the frame. -
Metro roundup: ISU’s Allee breaks steals record in twinbill split
Junior Morgan Allee broke the ISU single-season stolen bases record as the Indiana State softball team split a doubleheader with the Jaguars of IUPUI Tuesday at Price Field.
ISU defeated IUPUI 7-0 in the opener and fell 17-6 in the nightcap.
“It's nice to be able to get records but it's really not that important to me,” Allee said about breaking the record. “I would rather us win every game than for me to personally break any records.”
Allee led off the bottom of the first inning of the first game with a walk and promptly stole second base to break the ISU single-season record. -
Sanford seeking more from defense
According to Indiana State football coach Mike Sanford, defense had been ahead of the offense in the eight spring practices prior to Friday’s scrimmage. And it stood to reason.
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METRO ROUNDUP: North, South well-represented on All-Star teams
Two Terre Haute schools, two Terre Haute coaches and four Terre Haute All-Stars.
When it comes to the 21st Annual North-South All-Star Classic on April14 at Rose-Hulman, it would be hard to discern any North-South bias.
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