INDIANAPOLIS —
College basketball games are rarely decided during shootaround, but when Indiana State’s men’s team came out lackadaisical in its pregame routine, coach Greg Lansing saw the warning signs.
He ended the session early in an effort to get the team focused. Once the Sycamores faced IUPUI in the real thing, it seemed that Lansing’s decision had the desired effect.
ISU led IUPUI from start to finish in its 75-61 victory as the Sycamores snapped a two-game losing streak.
Jake Odum and Manny Arop co-led ISU with 18 points. Arop had nine rebounds and Odum had eight. Dawon Cummings had seven assists.
ISU (5-3) was pleased with its 40-minute effort, but the wakeup call came before the clock even began ticking.
“We usually practice on the day of the game. Going to Hawaii? Not wanting to get banged up? We didn’t go after each other as much. We got out a little quicker and I was upset about it, but they responded. I knew we’d play hard tonight,” Lansing said.
The players thought the shootaround jolt was needed.
“It was something like that,” said Cummings, when asked if the team was kicked out of shootaround. “I don’t want to say we weren’t focused, but we weren’t locked in and coach got a little disappointed.”
“We might have come into shootaround lacking concentration. Coach Lansing realized that and snapped us back into shape. Credit to him. That’s being a great coach. He knows how to run our team and if we follow in his steps, we’ll be good to go,” Odum said.
ISU shot 50 percent from the field and outrebounded IUPUI 40-25. ISU’s only blemish was 18 turnovers.
Lansing and the Sycamores said in the pregame run-up they wanted to get the ball inside more and they were true to their word early in the contest. In a 13-0 run that put ISU up 15-5, all but three of the points were scored inside the arc. Meanwhile, ISU’s defense forced IUPUI into low-percentage shots and turnovers. The Jaguars would start the game 4 of 16 from the field.
Then … it all disappeared for ISU. The Sycamores began to get careless on offense and force the tempo, which gave IUPUI a lifeline. ISU’s lead peaked at 19-7, but a 15-4 run pulled the Jaguars within shouting range at 23-22 with 5:48 left in the first half.
ISU recovered a bit before halftime, rebuilding its lead to eight in the final minute. Arop had seven of his 11 first-half points in the final 5:28.
After the hit-and-miss first half, ISU got all of its cylinders running in the second half as it started with a 13-6 run. The Sycamores did a far better job swinging the ball around to create higher-percentage scoring chances.
“We knew that they’d come out strong in the second half, but we wanted to come out stronger. We had a sense of urgency and we were flying around. We did a good job to rebuild momentum,” Arop said.
Arop’s productivity served the Sycamores well. The junior scored seven of ISU’s points during the run. The only blemish was a technical foul called on him when he was charged with hanging on the rim on an alley-oop dunk.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches. They’ve worked with me to understand the system and get me more comfortable,” Arop said.
IUPUI (4-9) made a run at ISU in the second half, but ISU’s defense was better and the Jaguars couldn’t chip into the Sycamores’ lead to the degree they did in the first half. IUPUI cut its deficit to 59-52, but the Sycamores responded by holding the Jaguars scoreless for five minutes. ISU’s lead ballooned to 70-52 and the Sycamores cruised from there.
“Everyone who came off the bench gave us something tonight. We played 10-deep, which is good, because we’re going to need it in Hawaii,” Lansing said.
After playing a game-a-week since late November, ISU will run a gauntlet of six games in the next two weeks. ISU will play three in Hawaii from Dec. 22-25. Once it returns to the mainland, it will begin Missouri Valley Conference play at home against Illinois State, followed by road games at Northern Iowa and Creighton.
Sports
Indiana State regains focus, leads IUPUI from start to finish
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IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, stands in his team pit box as he waits for the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
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Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
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Wichita State shuts out ISU to force elimination-game rematch
Indiana State starting pitcher Greg Kuhlman did his best.
Actually, he did far better than he ever has previously in an ISU uniform, but while Kuhlman’s gutty pitching effort spoke volumes, ISU’s bats remained ominously silent. -
BOYS TRACK REGIONAL: North gets three winners, South two at Evansville
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Top guns, again
- Local Interest
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
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Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
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Indiana State baseball series canceled
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman baseball to play DePauw on Thursday after Tuesday's rain
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
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Freshman Hambrock, THS seek semistate tennis title
Having already claimed Terre Haute North Sectional and Greencastle Regional championships in girls high school tennis, Terre Haute South will try to add a semistate title to its 2013 list of accomplishments today as the Braves battle No. 25-ranked Greenwood.
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- College
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Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
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Metro Sports: Chalk up No. 5 for Liz Evans
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Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
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Wichita State shuts out ISU to force elimination-game rematch
Indiana State starting pitcher Greg Kuhlman did his best.
Actually, he did far better than he ever has previously in an ISU uniform, but while Kuhlman’s gutty pitching effort spoke volumes, ISU’s bats remained ominously silent. -
Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.
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Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
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Luck having fun with his first OTAs
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Luck having fun with his first OTAs
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Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. - Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
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Luck having fun with his first OTAs
A year ago, quarterback Andrew Luck was unable to attend the Indianapolis Colts’ organized team activity practices due to school commitments at Stanford.
Luck, though, went on to have a stellar year for the Colts despite the lack of summer work with the team. Still, in a sense, he is a rookie during this year’s OTA workouts.
“These are my first OTAs. I missed these last year, so I think it’s great. It’s great to get on the field with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff. Obviously, some of us ran some of this stuff [offense] at Stanford [under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton]. But to get out there with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff is good,” Luck said Wednesday as the team wrapped up its first week of on-field voluntary practice sessions. - Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
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Luck having fun with his first OTAs
- Auto Racing
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IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, stands in his team pit box as he waits for the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
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Top guns, again
For the sixth time in his Indy career Friday, three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves won the Pit Stop Challenge on Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Top guns, again





