Indiana State men’s basketball heads back to Terre Haute with a win over the UIC Flames on Saturday afternoon, 88-83, inside the Credit Union 1 Arena. Indiana State improved to 11-12, 5-7 MVC while UIC fell to 14-8, 7-5 MVC.
Both teams started hot from the floor, but it was UIC that took an early seven-point lead, 13-6, only 2:30 into the game.
Samage Teel, Camp Wagner, and Aaron Gray combined for all of Indiana State’s first 16 points of the game, taking 4:45 to score those 16 points. Wagner drained all three of his three-point attempts in that span.
Jaden Daughtry tied the game at 18, and later Wagner sunk his fourth triple of the game at the 12:37 mark to give the Sycamores the lead, 21-20.
The Flames took the lead 1 1/2 minutes later, but K’mani Doughty’s three-pointer gave Indiana State the lead back with 10 minutes left in the first half, 26-25.
Indiana State grew an eight-point, lead with 5:52 left in the half, courtesy of a Markus Harding top-of-the-key triple and a Daughtry layup.
UIC scored five straight to cut the deficit down to a possession only a minute later, but Indiana State closed out the half on a 13-5 run with nine combined points from Teel and Wagner. The Sycamores made all three of its final first-half field goal attempts that came within the final 2:30.
Teel and Daughtry each got to the rim and finished layups, but it was Teel’s three-pointer with 34 seconds left in the half to put Indiana State up double figures heading into the halftime break, 52-41.
The Sycamores came out of the half hot, making their first four-of-five attempts, which was sparked by a Gray putback slam over a Flames defender. A steal by Harding and a short jumper by Doughty forced a quick UIC timeout with the Sycamores controlling the game, 59-41, still with 18:50 remaining.
Over the next 8 1/2 minutes, the Flames used an 18-7 run to bring the game back within double digits. Gray slammed another one home with 15 minutes left on the clock in the middle of that run, but UIC capped those 18 points with 11 unanswered. Indiana State led 66-58 with 1032 on the clock.
Both teams settled into a groove, going back-and-forth with baskets over the next 3 1/2 minutes. Doughty scored five-straight points to put Indiana State back up 12, but UIC answered with their own six-point run to trail the Sycamores 73-67 with just about seven minutes to play.
From the 9:22 to mark to the 3:05 mark, Indiana State scored only from the free throw line, which allowed UIC to outscore the Trees 14-7 in that span to bring the game back within a score, 78-75.
A corner three-pointer by UIC at the two-minute mark made the game 82-80 in favor of the Sycamores. The teams alternated misses, then Teel finished a tough layup to give Indiana State a four-point, 84-80 lead with just over a minute to play. UIC answered with a quick layup in their turn down the floor, now 84-82 with 57 seconds left.
Daughtry drew a shooting foul and knocked down the pair of free throws with 27 seconds left and the score 86-82. He made another shot from the line, as did Gray with nine seconds on the clock, then Teel swiped the ball from UIC with only seconds on the clock to secure the 88-83 victory.
Camp Wagner led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 shooting from deep, also swatting three shots. K’mani Doughty scored 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting, making all seven free throw attempts, and grabbing seven rebounds. Samage Teel recorded 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, a block, and a steal. Jaden Daughtry scored 13 points with five rebounds. Aaron Gray rounded out the five Sycamores in double figures with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bruno Alocen recorded six points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
News & Notes
- The Sycamores’ 88 points are the most since scoring 95 January 8 at Valparaiso.
- Indiana State shot 40.7% from three, the best performance since December 18 versus Murray State (45.0%).
- The Sycamores recorded 20 assists on 28 made field goals, the highest assist total since dishing out 27 on December 21 against UHSP.
- Indiana State recorded 46 rebounds in the game. It’s the first time reaching 40+ since January 8 at Valparaiso (41) and the most since pulling down 47 on December 21 versus UHSP.
- The 16 offensive rebounds ties the season high set on November 7 against Eureka.
- Indiana State capitalized on their offensive rebounds, scoring 16 second-chance points and holding UIC to zero second-chance points. The 16 points tie for the season-high set on November 7 against Eureka.
- Making 11 three-pointers in the game marks the fourth time in the last 10 games reaching double-figure threes.
- Camp Wagner set a new career high in scoring with 22 points and matched his season high in threes (5). He also recorded a career-high three blocks.
- K’mani Doughty matched his season high in scoring with 17.
- Doughty shot perfect in the second half: nine points, 3-for-3 from the field, 1-for-1 from deep, and 2-for-2 at the line.
- Aaron Gray recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds and grabbed double-digit rebounds for the third time this season.
- Bruno Alocen set a new high in rebounds with eight and in assists with five.
- Samage Teel recorded a well-balanced 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The eight rebounds are his most since December 1 against Tarleton State, and seven assists are the most since January 8 at Valparaiso.
- Notes from the 52-point first half:
- Indiana State recorded 13 assists on 18 made field goals.
- Eight first-half three pointers matched the total from each of the last two games.
- Camp Wagner scored 17 points in the first half, going 4-for-6 from three. He also recorded all three blocks in the half.
- Samage Teel, K’mani Doughty, and Aaron Gray each scored eight points.
- K’mani Doughty was perfect from the line, 5-for-5.
- Aaron Gray and Bruno Alocen each grabbed six rebounds in the half.
Up Next
Indiana State returns to Hulman Center on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to host the Valparaiso Beacons. The game tips off on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
