Indiana State just keeps winning as Sycamores take care of Drake for 2-game MVC lead.

TERRE HAUTE -- Indiana State basketball snuck by Drake, 75-67, on Saturday night at Hulman Center, avenging its loss to the Bulldogs from earlier this season.

The Sycamores are now 20-3 overall and 11-1 in Missouri Valley Conference, now owning a two-game cushion atop the league. Ryan Conwell led ISU with 21 points and Robbie Avila added 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Here are three observations as Josh Schertz's Sycamores continue to pad a resume that just might be good enough for an at-large bid come March.

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ISU sees hot start fade away

Only watching the first 10 minutes of this game, it looked like ISU was going to run away with a win over the reigning MVC tournament champions. The Sycamores led 22-7 at the 12-minute mark of the first half and were imposing their will on the Bulldogs.

But that offensive firepower didn’t last long.

Behind reigning MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries, Drake powered on a 29-15 run through the rest of the half, allowing the Sycamores just a one-point lead, 37-36, at halftime. There was a four-minute stretch ISU did not score throughout the first half, and Drake used it to go on a 9-0 run.

Drake briefly took the lead at the beginning of the second half, but ISU fought back, taking the lead until the Sycamores’ offense went cold at the 10-minute mark.

While Drake briefly took the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game, ISU managed to go on an 8-2 run throughout that seven-minute no-FG stretch, drawing fouls on nearly every possession to take the lead again. That included drawing a fifth foul on Drake forward Darnell Brodie at the 4-minute mark, taking out the Bulldogs' biggest threat in the paint.

ISU finally broke its seven-minute cold spell with a layup from Pike grad Conwell, and then a 3-pointer from Avila, strengthening their lead and drawing raucous cheers from the crowd.

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Tucker DeVries torches ISU, even with a rolled ankle

Rolling an ankle isn’t going to stop DeVries.

DeVries landed awkwardly under Drake’s basket just three minutes into the game, sitting on the ground with a look of pain as Indiana State rebounded the ball and rushed to the other side of the court.

While DeVries managed to pick himself up off the ground and limp over to his spot on the edge of the 3-point line, he was clearly in pain and immediately subbed out when a foul was called, heading back to the locker room.

DeVries wasn’t gone for long — after five minutes of game time, when ISU was leading 17-7, he subbed back into the game.

He was still limping slightly on his left foot, but he still managed to lead Drake on a 29-15 run and back into the game — his 15 first-half points (all scored after he rolled his ankle) gave the Bulldogs just a one-point deficit at halftime. DeVries ended the game with 26 points

Jayson Kent continues hot streak on the glass

Saturday’s game against Drake was the fourth-straight game Jayson Kent had double-digit rebounds. In those four games, he set a new career-high twice.

His hot streak on the glass started in Indiana State’s game against UIC, when he pulled down 10 rebounds. The next game, an overtime win against Bradley, he set a new career high of 16. At Belmont, he had 10.

Against Drake, in front of a sold-out Hulman Center crowd, he set yet another career-high of 20, playing the entire game. He and Avila (11 rebounds) were constantly under Drake’s basket, fighting DeVries and Brodie for the ball. The duo limited Drake to just five offensive rebounds and six second-chance points.

Kent's best play, though, came in the final 30 seconds of the game. With ISU leading, 70-67, he knocked the ball out of DeVries' hands as he went up for a layup. Conwell grabbed the ball, forcing DeVries to foul and send him to the line, which essentially sealed the game for the Sycamores.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 reasons Indiana State basketball beat Drake for 2-game MVC lead