TERRE HAUTE —
Chemistry class was in session at Hulman Center on Thursday.
Indiana State’s men’s basketball exhibition game against Lewis was as much about the team getting to know each other’s tendencies as it was about beating the Flyers.
The Sycamores defeated the Division II Flyers 79-66 and learned some things about themselves in the process.
“It was kind of hard to know what we were going to have going in. We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of guys who can make plays, but until you go into a live situation with your teammates, you really don’t know what you have,” ISU forward R.J. Mahurin said.
In a nutshell, the Sycamores proved they could score, especially off of turnovers (16 points). What they also proved is that they need some work on the defensive end.
Team chemistry isn’t derived after just one experiment. ISU coach Greg Lansing put the onus on ISU’s veterans to get the experiment pointed in the right direction.
“They’re all trying. They’re trying to say the right things and to do the right things, but we need the guys who have been through it before to be the voices more often than not,” ISU coach Greg Lansing said.
Mahurin was ISU’s leading scorer with 21 points. Mahurin scored seven consecutive ISU points in a late first-half run that turned an ISU deficit into a 23-22 lead with six minutes left in the half. The Sycamores would not trail the rest of the way.
Dawon Cummings added 12 points and Khristian Smith had 10. Justin Gant had eight points and eight rebounds and displayed vigor in the paint.
After ISU closed the first half on a 14-4 run to take a 37-26 halftime lead, the Flyers never seriously threatened. On the other hand, Lewis was never completely put away either. ISU’s lead peaked at 21 with 12:27 left in the game, but late in the game — when ISU turned to its least experienced crew and the Flyers pressed — Lewis cut its deficit to nine.
With 1:26 left, Lansing had to put the starters back in to assure that the Sycamores would finish the Flyers off.
“Lewis exposed a lot of things. We can be a good team, but they have to understand we have a long ways to go in maturity. Coach [Royce] Waltman used to say, ‘You have to listen and take it all out on the floor.’ As a coaching staff, we have to repeat things too much,” Lansing said.
The Flyers shot 48.3 percent in the second half after they converted 40.7 percent in the first half.
“It’s Jake Odum on down the line. It’s good that Lewis made a run late, because maybe it will perk guys up a little bit and listen to things we’re saying. They’re working hard, we just have a long ways to go,” Lansing added.
ISU’s defense was the target of most needed improvement. ISU showed flashes of solid half-court defense, especially in the first eight minutes of the game. The Sycamores were also opportunistic; ISU had 14 steals.
But the gambling mentality that created those steals got ISU burned at times too. And when ISU was in its half-court, there were possessions when the defensive intensity dropped as the 35-second clock wound down.
“We have to get better chemistry-wise defensively. We have to get on that same level and trust one another. We have to get where that’s easy for us,” Mahurin said.
Lansing was asked what specific defensive improvement he wanted to see.
“We have to work on ball-screen defense. We get driven far too easy. It’s a hard thing. We ask them to get into the ball, but then when the guy is getting ready to penetrate, you have to give ground and keep the ball in front of you. We also bailed them out with too many fouls,” Lansing said.
While defensive improvement was the post-game theme among both Sycamores’ coaches and players, ISU also showed it has some talent to build on. When the Sycamores achieved that elusive chemistry, there were some plays made — especially on the offensive end — that were encouraging.
“Everybody can score. Khristian Smith. Manny [Arop]. Gant. We have a lot of weapons out there,” Odum said.
ISU has eight days to prepare for its season opener at UCLA next Friday.
Indiana State University
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Inside moves: Indiana State University forward R.J. Mahurin gets two of his first half points past the defense of Lewis University's Kyle Nelson.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis No doubt: Indiana State University guard Khristian Smith drives home two first half points in the Sycamores' exhibition game with Lewis University Thursday night.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis In the middle: Indiana State center Jake Kitchell guards Lewis University guard Ryan Jackson in the first half of their exhibition game in Terre Haute.
Discussion
Chemistry class in session as ISU beats Lewis in exhibition basketball
- Indiana State University
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Etherington, Moore happy to be with ISU basketball
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But they’ll go ahead and try to add to their list of accomplishments in the NCAA outdoor championships this weekend.
Dustin Betz has been a scorer and key piece of eight Missouri Valley Conference championship teams between track and cross country. He’ll compete today in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as the Sycamores’ second best in the event behind Jordan Fife. -
Mike Lucas joins ISU football staff
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Indiana State football coach Mike Sanford provided insight into that question as he hired former Southeast Louisiana head coach Mike Lucas to his staff Tuesday. Lucas will be the Sycamores’ defensive line coach.
“You have to look at your staff and see what you need. I felt like in this particular case, I wanted an experienced defensive line coach. I feel like we have a mixture of experience and youth and I want to keep that going,” Sanford said. -
Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
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Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
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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. -
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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 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.
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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.
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“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. - More Indiana State University Headlines
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