Marshall native catches fire, perfect from field as ISU pulls away from High Point

Indiana State University

Related Photos

Work it: Indiana State's Lucas Eitel passes to Jake Odum against High Point on Sunday at Hulman Center.
Say what? Indiana State coach Greg Lansing talks with the officials about a call in the closing seconds of the first half.
Three ball: R.J. Mahurin shoots and scores three points during second half action against High Point at Hulman Center on Sunday afternoon. Indiana State won the game 75-62.
Inside: R.J. Mahurin watches his pass just make it past a High Point defender at Hulman Center. Indiana State won the game 76-62.
Perfect: Indiana State guard Lucas Eitel was a perfect 9 for 9 from the field against High Point at Hulman Center on Sunday afternoon.
Score: Indiana State's Khristian Smith (32) shoots and scores against two High Point defenders during second-half action Sunday.

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.

comments powered by Disqus

November 26, 2012

Marshall native catches fire, perfect from field as ISU pulls away from High Point

Todd Golden The Tribune-Star The Tribune Star Mon Nov 26, 2012, 05:02 AM EST

TERRE HAUTE — If Indiana State coach Greg Lansing has a personal list of well timed coaching decisions he’s made in his career as a head coach, he’ll have to revise it after ISU’s contest against High Point on Sunday.

Lansing made its first starting lineup change of the season as Lucas Eitel started in place of Dawon Cummings.

The change had the perfect end result … literally. The Marshall, Ill. native converted 9 of 9 from the field, including 7 of 7 from 3-point range, to score 25 points as the junior guard put the Sycamores on his shoulders and carried them to a 76-62 victory.

That decision kind of paid off, didn’t it?

“You reward a guy because he deserves it. He works every day in practice. He was a huge lift and it wasn’t just because he was making shots, it’s because he was defending too. That’s why he got the nod, because of how he defended at Ball State and how he practiced the last couple of days,” Lansing said.

Eitel’s seven 3-point makes in one game tied an ISU record set by Jay Tunnell against Illinois State in 2009. Eitel also shares the consecutive 3-pointers made mark over multiple games with Tunnell as Eitel has converted eight 3-pointers in a row. He made his last 3-point attempt in ISU’s 68-48 win over Ball State last Tuesday.

Eitel also joins Jordan Printy as the only players in ISU annals with perfect 3-point shooting performances in a game.

“There was one game in high school, we played Flora, where I was pretty hot, but that’s up there for sure,” said Eitel, when asked whether he’d ever had a better shooting performance.

“My teammates were screening and giving me good passes. I was able to find some open shots. Once they go down and keep going in, your confidence just grows,” Eitel said.

Eitel was one field goal attempt shy of setting ISU’s all-time shooting percentage record for one game. Ten attempts are the minimum standard to set a field goal record. Eitel could have missed one more attempt and still set the record, which has been held by Joe Warfel (85.7 percent) since 1965.

“It was the Lucas Eitel show. He was on fire. He got some really good looks at the rim and he can shoot it,” High Point coach Scott Cherry said.

ISU (4-1) needed every bit of Eitel’s scoring muscle. The Sycamores trailed a gritty High Point team 32-30 at halftime, but Eitel made three 3-pointers in five ISU possessions to start the second half as ISU turned its halftime deficit into a 41-36 lead barely three minutes in.

Eitel’s perfect shooting sent a jolt through the rest of the Sycamores, who had struggled mightily in the first half from the field. Khristian Smith and R.J. Mahurin scored all of ISU’s points after Eitel’s 3-point outburst as ISU pushed its lead to 52-40 by the 12:26 mark of the second half.

“[Eitel] started, so we knew we had to look for him early. Once he starting hitting shots, I told him to keep shooting. He’s the one guy on my team I want to shoot, no matter if he has three guys in his face. We have confidence in him and tonight was his night,” Smith said.

Eitel made his last bucket of the game, a long two, with 11:40 left, but by then, his teammates were knocking down their shots with regularity. ISU shot 14 of 20 from the field in the second half and had just two turnovers.

Smith was the most active of ISU’s scorers. The freshman had 11 of his career-high 18 points in the second half.

“I attacked the basket. Lately, I’ve been settling for jump shots. I haven’t been getting my head down and being aggressive on offense like coach wants me to be. I had energy on the defensive end too and that helped me,” Smith said.

Though Eitel’s shooting was paramount, ISU also pulled away thanks to its defense on High Point’s high scoring duo of John Brown (20.3 ppg entering the game) and Allan Chaney (17.3). Brown got into foul trouble and scored 10. Chaney scored a season-low six points.

“If you make them take a tough shot on that end, which we did about 80 percent of the time, more often than not, you’re going to come out ahead,” Lansing said.

Eitel also sizzled in the first half, but ISU wasn’t able to capitalize. He converted 5 of 5 from the field in the first 20 minutes, including four 3-pointers and two in the first two minutes of the game. He had 14 points at halftime, breaking his previous career-high of 12 by the 6:35 mark.

But Eitel was the only Sycamore who could generate any offense. ISU moved with little vigor on the offensive end against High Point’s zone defense.

ISU was 10 of 26 from the field, but if Eitel’s shooting is taken out of the equation, the rest of the Sycamores were 5 of 21. ISU was also 6 of 14 at the free throw line in the first half and shot just 56.3 percent for the game.

The Panthers’ bench had 19 points at halftime as it picked up the scoring slack for Brown and Chaney and High Point led 32-30 at halftime.

But the Panthers (3-2) couldn’t keep up in the second half.

ISU has a significant challenge in its next game as unbeaten New Mexico visits Hulman Center on Saturday as part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. The Lobos have already beaten Davidson, George Mason and Connecticut.

The game pits Lobos head coach Steve Alford against Lansing, who was on Alford’s staff at Iowa from 1999-2006.

HIGH POINT (62) – J. Brown 4-9 2-2 10, Chaney 2-8 2-2 6, Edwards 2-7 0-0 4, Cheek 1-3 0-0 3, Simms 2-4 0-0 4, McGaughy 4-8 0-0 10, McIntrye 0-1 0-0 0, Duncan 0-0 0-0 0, Cugini 1-1 0-0 3, Law 3-4 2-3 8, Weary 5-7 2-4 12, Mikulic 1-2 0-0 2. 25-54 FG, 8-11 FT, 62 TP.

INDIANA STATE (76) – Gant 0-4 4-4 4, Kitchell 1-2 2-2 4, Eitel 9-9 0-0 25, Arop 3-7 0-0 6, Odum 1-5 5-8 7, D. Brown 0-0 2-5 2, Cummings 0-1 0-3 0, Mahurin 3-7 2-6 10, K. Smith 7-11 3-4 18. 24-46 FG, 18-32 FT, 76 TP.

Halftime score – HPU 32-30. 3-point goals – HPU 4-11 (McGaughy 2-4, Cugini 1-1, Cheek 1-1, Edwards 0-2, Chaney 0-1, Weary 0-1, Mikulic 0-1), ISU 10-15 (Eitel 7-7, Mahurin 2-4, K. Smith 1-2, Arop 0-1, Cummings 0-1). Rebounds – HPU 27 (Chaney 8, Brown 4, Law 4, Edwards 2, Simms 2, McIntyre 2, Weary 2, Cheek, Cugini, Mikulic), ISU 35 (Odum 8, Mahurin 6, Gant 5, K. Smith 5, Arop 4, Eitel 3, Cummings 2, Kitchell, D. Brown), Assists – HPU 11 (Chaney 3, Simms 2, Weary 2, Edwards, Cheek), ISU 15 (Odum 6, Kitchell 3, Eitel 2, Gant, Mahurin), Steals – HPU 3 (Brown, Law, Weary), ISU 4 (D. Brown 2, Gant, Cummings), Blocks – HPU 4 (Brown 3), ISU 4 (Gant, Kitchell, Arop, Odum), Turnovers – HPU 10 (Chaney 3), ISU 6 (Gant 2, Arop, Odum, D. Brown, Mahurin), Total fouls – HPU 24, ISU 14. Fouled out – none. A – 5,487.

Next – ISU (4-1) plays host to New Mexico on Saturday. High Point (3-2) plays at Western Michigan on Thursday.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Indiana State University

Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
Indiana State’s baseball was out of pitching, and after a loss to Wichita State on Thursday, the Sycamores were out of second-chances too at the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament. What the Sycamores weren’t out of was heart, guts and clutch performances from some unlikely sources. But in the end, Friday’s elimination game rematch against the Shockers was a sampling of ISU’s season overall — the Sycamores were out of luck.

May 25, 2013
Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
Three Indiana State seniors and a freshman have punched their tickets to the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in two weeks at Eugene, Ore., with their Friday efforts in the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary at Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T.

May 25, 2013
ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

May 21, 2013 1 Photo
ISU sending largest group yet to postseason
On the heels of their thrilling double victory at the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships both the Indiana State men and women moved up in the national rankings which were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

May 21, 2013
ISU's athletic treasure trove
Think of every championship that Indiana State has won in each of its sports, past and present. Think of every tournament — postseason or regular season — which the Sycamores have claimed as their own.

May 19, 2013 9 Photos 2 Links
Ort sets ISU RBI record in 16-7 win
Robby Ort celebrated his Indiana State baseball Senior Day on Saturday by becoming the Sycamores’ all-time leader in RBIs as ISU ended its regular season with a 16-7 win over Bradley at Bob Warn Field.

May 19, 2013
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.

May 18, 2013
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.

May 17, 2013
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.

May 17, 2013 1 Photo
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.

May 16, 2013
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.

May 12, 2013
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.

May 11, 2013 1 Photo
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.

May 11, 2013
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.

May 10, 2013 1 Photo
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.

May 3, 2013
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.

May 2, 2013 2 Photos
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.

May 2, 2013
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.

April 26, 2013
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.

April 21, 2013
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.

April 21, 2013
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.

April 20, 2013 1 Photo
Sanford wraps up first spring with ISU
The final day of Indiana State football’s first Mike Sanford experience is upon the Sycamores.

April 20, 2013
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.

April 18, 2013 1 Photo
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.

April 15, 2013
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.

April 14, 2013
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.

April 14, 2013
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.

April 13, 2013 3 Photos
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.

April 13, 2013
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.

April 12, 2013 2 Photos
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.

April 11, 2013
More Indiana State University Headlines

Latest News

Ill. House approves guns plan opposed by governor Posted 16 hours ago 1 Photo
Vigo County Jail Log: May 24, 2013 Posted 18 hours ago
ISU plans hearing on proposed tuition/fees increase Posted 22 hours ago 1 Photo
Nabors returns, Henderson out as Indy 500 singers Posted 23 hours ago 1 Photo
Indianapolis falls to 13th among biggest U.S. cities Posted 23 hours ago

Community Calendar

Loading…

Events by eviesays.com

TribStar.com Poll

AP Video

Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse

Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse

Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored

Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell

NDN Video

AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever

Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage

Trout's cycle a boost for Angels

Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado

Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.