Sycamores roll in non-conference matchup at Miami (Ohio), 88-61

Dec. 3—If followers of Indiana State men's basketball wondered how ISU would handle success, after a dramatic victory over Drake on Wednesday, the Sycamores emphatically answered that question Saturday afternoon.

They overwhelmed host Miami (Ohio) from the start of the non-conference game in Millett Hall. ISU rolled to a 88-61 victory and raised its record to 8-1. The Redhawks fell to 3-5.

The win came on Indiana State's first trip inside an opponent's gym, and just three days after beating Missouri Valley Conference favorite Drake 75-73 in Hulman Center. Sycamore guard Courvoisier McCauley said the Drake win didn't leave the Sycamores over-confident against Miami.

"Obviously, last week was a big game [against Drake]. We knew we could compete with those guys. We knew we were just as good. So that win wasn't nothing but just assurance," McCauley said Saturday. "But after that, it's taking it to the next and playing the same game and same approach with every team."

The Sycamores exploded offensively in the first half, racking up a 58-28 lead. Those 20 minutes featured several strong plays by multiple ISU players and 9-for-9 free throw shooting as a team, but McCauley — a 6-foot-5 grad-student guard — dominated with 24 first-half points.

"I was definitely going in the first half," McCauley said. "My teammates were finding me. The ball was finding me. I was able to make shots and get to my spots."

McCauley's early outburst included five 3-pointers, two 2-pointers, and 5-for-5 free throw shooting. McCauley's foul shots included a trio of free throws in one trip to line after being fouled on a trey. Teammate Cameron Henry added 10 in the first half.

That was as good a 20 minutes as we've played," said Sycamore Coach Josh Schertz.

McCauley finished with 30 points in 27 minutes of play and hit 6 of 10 3-point shots. As a team, ISU made 16 3-pointers, just two shy of the school record of 18, set in 1988. The Sycamores hit 47% from beyond the arc, 49% from the field and 80% from the line.

Midway through the second half, ISU scored 12 of its 14 points in one three-minute-plus stretch on 3-pointers.

The Sycamores shot 34 times from outside the arc, but Schertz said that number isn't a goal but rather the result of the game's flow. "The way we play offensively tends to generate threes," he said.

"I'm more concerned with getting the right ones," than shooting a specific number of 3-pointers, Schertz said.

Meanwhile, the Sycamore defense limited Miami to just three 3-pointers in 19 attempts. Three Redhawks scored in double-figures, led by reserve guard Ryan Mabrey.

Aside from Miami's initial 2-0 lead, the Mid-American Conference Redhawks never threatened ISU. The Sycamores scored 18 unanswered points in the first half, ballooning the score from 35-34 to 53-24 with 1 minute, 44 seconds left. In the second half, that lead grew even bigger, reaching 37 points, at 69-32 with 13:24 to play.

As a result, ISU is on its best season start since 2005-06, when that edition of the Sycamores also opened 8-1.

McCauley was joined in double-figure scoring by freshman center Robbie Avila, who added 13 points, and guards Kailex Stephens and Henry with 10 each. Avila led ISU rebounders with nine, McCauley grabbed seven and Trenton Gibson had six.

Schertz sensed McCauley was primed for a special performance, after watching pregame warm-ups. "I told him, 'Man, you're going to be great.' You could see it in his body language," Schertz said.

Avila, a lanky, goggle-wearing 6-10 product of Oak Forest, Ill., was often matched up with Miami's Charles Barkley-esque senior Anderson Mirambeaux. The Redhawk from the Dominican Republic, who stands 6-8 and 305 pounds, finished with eight points and four rebounds.

"That's an emphasis I've been taking my first year — I've got to be stronger," Avila said. "When I'm going up against big guys like this, it's just keeping them out of the paint, trying to push them out as far as I can, be strong and bang with them."

ISU now plays its second MVC game, traveling to Southern Illinois for an 8 p.m. game on Wednesday.

"We have the top two right off the bat," Schertz said, referring to Drake and Southern Illinois in the MVC. "We're definitely going to have to be at our best."

INDIANA STATE (88) — Avila 5-8 2-3 13, Henry 4-7 0-0 10, Kent 0-2 0-0 0, McCauley 9-15 6-7 30, Gibson 0-3 2-2 2, Stephens 5-8 0-0 10, Bledson 1-4 2-2 5, Larry 1-3 0-0 3, Hobbs 2-4 0-1 6, Miller 2-5 0-0 6, Martin 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 30-61 FG, 12-15 FT, 88 TP.

MIAMI (61) — Mirambeaux 3-11 2-2 8, Lairy 2-10 8-8 12, Smith 1-6 1-2 3, Safford 4-10 2-4 10, Stevens 1-2 2-2 4, Mabrey 5-11 0-0 13, Morris 0-1 0-0 0, Yofan 1-1 0-0 2, Tatum 2-3 1-1 5, Rylee 0-1 4-6 4. Totals 19-56 FG, 20-25 FT, 61 TP.

Halftime score — ISU 58-28. 3-point FG shooting — ISU 16-34 (Avila 1-2, Henry 2-3, Kent 0-1, McCauley 6-10, Gibson 0-2, Stephens 0-1, Bledson 1-3, Larry 1-2, Hobbs 2-4, Miller 2-5, 1-1), MU 3-19 (Mirambeaux 0-1, Lairy 0-7, Smith 0-4, Safford 0-2, Mabrey 3-5). FG Pct. — ISU .492, MU .339. 3-pt. Pct. — ISU .471, MU .158. FT Pct. — ISU .800, MU .800. Total fouls — ISU 23, MU 19. Fouled out — none. Rebounds — ISU 39 (Avila 9, McCauley 7, Gibson 6), MU 32 (Safford 9, Mirambeaux 4, Lairy 4, Mabrey 4). Assists — ISU 24 (Gibson 8, several with 2), MU 4. Steals — ISU 10 (Hobbs 3, Gibson 2), MU 7 (Lairy 3). Turnovers — ISU 13, MU 16. Blocks — ISU 0, MU 4 (Morris 2). A — 1,284.

Next — ISU (8-1 overall, 1-0 MVC) plays at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois. Miami (3-5) plays Dec. 11 at Calumet College.

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.