Courtesy: Megan McKenna/ISU Media Relations http://www.gosycamores.com/ Senior forward Jay Tunnell

Game Day Central

Series:             DePauw Leads 40-30

Television:       WTWO

Play-By-Play:  Jason Pensky

Analyst:           Jim Waugh

Radio:              ESPN Radio 1130/1300 AM

Play-By-Play:  Brian Fritz

Analyst:           Matt Renn

Internet:           GoSycamores.com (PPV)

 

Storylines

            Indiana State (1-8) returns home on Saturday to face off against in-state foe DePauw (5-3) after playing its last four games on the road.  The game will be the first of two on Saturday at Hulman Center as part of the Sycamore Holiday Showcase, with tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Nellie and John Wooden Court.

            The Sycamores are coming off a tough road stretch that saw them play two nationally ranked opponents and play four games in seven days, including three straight in three days Dec. 6-8 in Louisville, Ky., at the Marques Maybin Classic.  ISU wrapped up that road swing with a 76-62 defeat at the hands of the then No. 14 ranked Purdue Boilermakers a week ago at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

            The Sycamores played tough against their Big Ten Conference counterparts, but 24 points off ISU turnovers and 16 second-chance points helped the Boilermakers to a win in front of their home crowd.

            Junior guard Harry Marshall led the way for the Sycamores in his first game of the season with 16 points and six assists.  Senior forward Jay Tunnell added 11 points and five rebounds in the effort for ISU, while sophomore forward Isiah Martin rounded out a trio of Sycamores in double figures with 10 points.  Robbie Hummel led all scorers with 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting, while JaJuan Johnson added 12 points and Lewis Jackson finished with 11.

            DePauw has not played a game since Dec. 10, when the team faced off against Purdue-North Central at home.  The Tigers jumped out to a 16-2 lead and never trailed in securing a 103-55 win over the visiting Panthers. Thirteen different Tigers scored during the game, led by senior Mike Moore’s 23 points in 21 minutes of action.

            DePauw leads the all-time series between the two schools 40-30.  The series dates back to the 1904-05 season, with the last regular-season meeting taking place during the 1968-69 season.  Last year, the Sycamores defeated DePauw 77-68 in the team’s first exhibition game.

 

About The Coaches

Kevin McKenna (Creighton ‘93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (16-24).  In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center.  McKenna came to Indiana State after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances.  From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. 

 

Bill Fenlon (Northwestern ‘79) is in his 17th season as the head coach at DePauw (274-151) and his 24th overall as a head coach (381-220).  Last season, Fenlon led his team to a 19-7 overall record and a 10-4 record in SCAC play, which was good enough for a tie for second in their division and a tie for fifth in the SCAC Tournament.  The winningest coach in DePauw men’s basketball history, Fenlon led the Tigers to their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III postseason during the 2006-07 season, as the 22-6 Tigers posted the fifth-highest single-season win total in school history.

 

Scouting The Tigers

 ►       DePauw University is located in Greencastle, Ind., and has an enrollment   of 2,300 students.  The Tigers are NCAA Division III members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and play at Neal Fieldhouse (2,800).

 ►       The Tigers finished with an overall record of 19-7 during the 2007-08 season.  In conference play, DePauw posted a 10-4 record which was good enough for second place in its division.  They ended their season with a 82-77 double overtime loss to Trinity in the quarterfinals of the SCAC Tournament on Feb. 29 in Conway, Ark.

 ►       DePauw returns two starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s team.  Senior guard Mike Moore (17.3 ppg, 6.5 apg) and junior guard Tom Callen (5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) return to the lineup and should get some help from sophomore guard Steve Lemasters (7.8 ppg) and junior guard Tony James (4.8 ppg.)

 ►       DePauw has not played a game since Dec. 10, when the team faced off against Purdue-North Central at home.  The Tigers (5-3) jumped out to a 16-2 lead and never trailed in taking a 103-55 win over the visiting Panthers. Thirteen different Tigers scored led by senior Mike Moore’s 23 points in 21 minutes of action. 

 

Last Time Against The Tigers

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The 2007-08 basketball season got off to an exciting start, as the Indiana State men’s basketball team pulled out to a late lead and secured a 77-68 exhibition victory over the DePauw Tigers in front of 3,346 fans at Hulman Center.

            The Sycamores got off to a quick 11-2 lead, thanks to four quick points from junior Jay Tunnell.  However, DePauw quickly went on an 11-1 run to take its first lead of the game at 13-12 on a three-pointer from Mike Moore.  The lead would eventually grow to 10 for the Tigers at 25-15 on a jumper from Stephen Schott.  Indiana State then fought back with a 12-3 run as two free throws from Tunnell cut the DePauw lead to one at 28-27 with 3:36 left in the first half.

            After a Brian Oilar three-pointer widened the lead to four points at 31-27, freshman Isiah Martin threw down the first dunk of his career at ISU and Harry Marshall followed with a layup to tie the game at 31-31 with just two minutes left on the clock.  DePauw would then score the next six points to take a 37-31 lead into the locker room at the half.

            The two squads traded baskets to open the second half, with DePauw eventually going up by six points 49-43 at the 14:41 mark.  The Sycamores then battled back with six straight points from Marico Stinson and Marshall to knot the score at 49-49 eight minutes into the half.  Four-consecutive free throws from Steve Lemasters and a made jumper from Tom Callen once again widened the lead to six for DePauw at 55-49 with 8:50 left on the clock.

            ISU would eventually tie the game at 58-58 on a jumper from Cole Holmstrom with 4:28 left in the game and then took their first lead since the 13:17 mark in the first half at 61-58 on a three-pointer from freshman Aaron Carter.  DePauw fought back and regained the lead at 64-63 on a three-pointer by Moore, his fourth of the game.  However, that would be the last lead of the game for the Tigers, as the Sycamores finished the game on a 14-4 run over the last three minutes to secure the 77-68 win.

            Four players scored in double figures for the Sycamores, led by Carter’s team-high 16 points.  Adam Arnold just missed out on a double-double by one rebound for ISU, as he pulled down nine rebounds to go along with his 12 points scored.

 

The Marshall Plan

Junior guard Harry Marshall made his return to the Indiana State lineup on Saturday against No. 14 Purdue and did so in impressive fashion.  The Bowling Green, Ind., native  led the Sycamores with 16 points, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range, and added six assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes of action against the nationally-ranked Boilermakers.  Marshall had to sit out the team’s first eight games of the season (academics).

 

Hitting the Boards

Indiana State had been out-rebounded in every game this season heading into last Saturday’s game against No. 14 Purdue.  However, the Sycamores hung tough with their Big Ten counterparts and went even on rebounds 28-28. Each team corralled nine offensive boards and 18 defensive rebounds in the contest, but the Boilermakers had the edge on second-chance points 16-8.

 

Tunnell To Play In 100th Career Game At ISU

Indiana State fields one of its youngest teams in years in 2008, but senior forward Jay Tunnell provides the team some much-needed leadership on and off the court.  In today’s game against DePauw, Tunnell will reach a career milestone as he will play in his 100th career game at Indiana State.  During that time, he has averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 assists and 24.9 minutes per game for the Sycamores, while starting in 94 games.  In addition, Tunnel has scored 877 points in his career, which leaves him just 123 points shy of becoming the 31st player in school history with at least 1,000 career points, and has pulled down 469 rebounds.

 

No Easy Victory For The Sycamores

The Sycamores had to fight from behind to pick up their first win of the season against Lamar.  ISU was down by as much as eight points with just over seven minutes remaining in the game and fought back to take a one-point lead with just 38 seconds remaining after a three-pointer by Rashad Reed.  Lamar then tied the game at 66-66 after two free throws with nine seconds left, but it was Reed who came up big once again and hit a floater in the paint with 0.2 seconds left on the clock to give the Sycamores a 68-66 win.

 

Coming Through In The Clutch

Rashad Reed was Indiana State’s leading scorer heading into the team’s game against Lamar at the Marques Maybin Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.  When the Sycamores needed a go-ahead basket late in the game against the Cardinals, they went to Reed who connected on a floater in the lane with 0.2 seconds to propel ISU to its first win of the season.  Reed finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds for the Sycamores in the game and now leads the team with an average of 12.9 points per game in seven starts.

 

Reed Gets Some Company In The 20 Point Club

Through seven games, junior Rashad Reed was the only Sycamores to score more than 20 points in a game with his 21 points in the season opener at Northern Illinois.  However, on against Ohio both Jay Tunnell and Aaron Carter joined the club as each scored 20 points against the Bobcats.  Tunnell tied his career high with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds.  Carter’s 20 points also set a career high for the sophomore, who used a 6-for-9 effort from three-point range to set the new mark.  The last time ISU had two players score 20 points or more in the same game was against Drake on December 30, 2007, when Marico Stinson (37) and Cole Holmstrom (20) achieved the feat.

 

Kentucky Brings Out The Best In Cutter, Leitnaker

Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter and sophomore center Brant Leitnaker enjoyed playing over the weekend at the Marques Maybin Classic, as both set new career highs on the historic floor of Freedom Hall.  Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes of action.  He followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season.  Leitnaker also had a career effort against Louisville, as he scored a career-high nine points while tying his career high with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action against the Cardinals.

 

Mr. Consistency

Sophomore Aaron Carter is quickly asserting himself as one of the most consistent Sycamores on this year’s squad.  Carter, who had four double-digit scoring efforts in 30 games as a freshman last season, has posted six double-digit scoring efforts in six of the team’s nine games.  The Cannelton, Ind., native scored in double figures twice in three days at the Marques Maybin Classic d in Louisville, including a career-high 20 points on  6-for-9 shooting from three point range against Ohio.  Carter currently ranks second on the team with an average of 11.3 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds per contest.

 

Tunnell Just Misses A Double-Double

Senior Jay Tunnell has recorded four career double-doubles in his four seasons at Indiana State.  In the team’s win against Lamar, he just missed out on the fifth of his career after he scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help the Sycamores defeat the Cardinals at the Marques Maybin Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.

 

An Impressive Debut For Crawford

At 6-11, junior transfer Josh Crawford will no doubt pose a problem for opposing defenses for Indiana State this season.  He gave Northern Illinois fits with his size and prowess in the paint in the season opener, as he scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds against the Huskies. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end, as recorded three blocked shots while altering several others shots.  He followed that up with 16 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots against North Texas on Sunday to average 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his first two games in an ISU uniform.

 

A Balanced Scoring Attack

The Sycamores have shown an ability to share in the scoring duties this season based on their performances in the team’s first three games of the season.  Against Northern Illinois four players finished in double figures, led by Rashad Reed’s 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range.  That became a trend for the Sycamores in their second game of the week on Sunday against North Texas, as once again four players tallied double-digit scoring efforts.  Freshman Carl Richard led the way against the Mean Green with a career-high 17 points while Crawford posted another solid effort with 16 points and four blocked shots.  Against Murray State, the trend continued as three players scored in double figures led by Tunnell’s 12 points and redshirt freshman Keenan Barlow’s career-high 11 points. 

 

Dialed In From Long Distance

Against Murray State, the Sycamores made a season-high 12 three-pointers score 36 of the team’s 61 total points.  Redshirt freshman Keenan Barlow led the way with a 3-for-4 effort to end up with a career-high 11 points, while fellow redshirt freshman Jordan Printy, senior Jay Tunnell, junior Rashad Reed and sophomore Aaron Carter each added two treys against the Racers.

 

Welcome To The Show

Several Sycamore rookies saw their first action in a Sycamore uniform in the team’s season opener against Nortern Illinois on Nov. 18.  In all, six players made their debuts at Indiana State during the game while four players made their collegiate debuts:  Keenan Barlow, Tyler Cutter, Jordan Printy, Carl Richard.  Two of those newcomers, junior college transfers Rashad Reed and Josh Crawford, both scored in double figures with 21 and 13 points, respectively. 

 

Get That Outta Here!

Albion College found it very hard to score points in the paint against the Sycamores in the exhibition opener, as the team had 11 of its shots blocked by ISU defenders.  Sophomore Isiah Martin, who led the Missouri Valley Conference last season with 59 blocked shots as a freshman, collected six by himself to start the season strong.  Freshman Koang Doluony added three swats of his own thanks to his wingspan of over seven feet while junior Josh Crawford and Carl Richard each added a block apiece.

 

Honoring A True Sycamore Legend

Prior to the start of lSU’s first exhibition game against Albion College, the floor at Hulman Center will officially be named the Nellie and John Wooden Court in honor of the legendary coach and his late wife, Nellie.  Prior to achieving legendary success as the head coach at UCLA, Wooden began his collegiate coaching career and served two years as head men’s basketball coach, baseball coach and athletics director at Indiana State from 1946 to 1948. While earning his master’s degree at Indiana State, he compiled a 44-15 record as basketball coach while leading the Sycamores to post-season tournament appearances each year and two conference championships.  In addition, coach Wooden will also be inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletics Hall of Fame in March.

 

The Dream Season ... 30 Years Later

This season marks the 30th anniversary of Indiana State’s historic 1978-79 season that saw the Sycamores advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and eventually to the National Championship game.  In order to get there, the Sycamores had to defeat today’s opponent, DePaul, in the Final Four.  Led by consensus First-Team All-American and future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird, Indiana State compiled a 33-1 overall record, including a perfect 29-0 record during the regular season with the only loss of the season coming in the championship game to Michigan State 75-64.

 

Mahurin Signs On The Dotted Line

With just one senior on this year’s roster, Indiana State men’s basketball head coach Kevin McKenna needed to fill just one spot for next year’s team.  He filled that spot with the addition of local star RJ Mahurin (Rockville, Ind./Rockville HS), who signed a National Letter of Intent with ISU to continue his education and basketball career.  Mahurin, a 6-foot-8 forward, has scored 1,404 points in his career for the Rox and is just 118 points away from becoming the top scorer in school history heading into his senior season.  During his junior season, Mahurin led the Rox to a sectional championship and a spot in the regional finals with a 23-4 overall record.  He averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, which earned him Honorable Mention All-State honors from the Associated Press and led to him being named the Tribune Star’s Wabash Valley Player of the Year.  Mahurin was also named the team’s MVP and was an All-Wabash River Conference Selection.