Purple Aces eliminate ISU Sycamores, 63-59

ST. LOUIS, MO (3-5-2004) - The Indiana State men’s basketball team suffered a 63-59 loss to the University of Evansville in the first round of the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday (March 5), ending the Sycamores’ season. ISU fell behind in the first half, but rallied to take the lead late in the game before Lucious Wagner’s thee-pointer with 41 seconds left to play pushed Evansville ahead for good.

Trailing 33-26 at halftime, the Sycamores trimmed Evansville’s lead to just one (44-43) with 13:15 remaining in the game when Eric Gray (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) hit a three-point shot. Evansville pushed its lead to seven (52-45) midway through the half, before ISU used an 8-0 run to take the lead (53-52).

Late in the game with the Purple Aces holding a one-point advantage (58-57), David Moss (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) was fouled by Kyle Anslinger and made both free throws, giving the Sycamores a one-point lead (59-58). Wagner’s three-point shot from the right corner gave the Purple Aces the lead with 41 seconds to play. Gray missed a three-point attempt from the right wing and the Aces came away with the rebound. Matt Webster made two free throws for UE, cementing the win.

The Sycamores (9-19, 5-13 MVC) were led by Wilfred Antoine (New Orleans, La./Coffeyville JC), who scored a career-high 19 points in the loss. Gray finished with eleven points, while Amani Daanish (Los Angeles, Calif./Cowley CC) scored two points and hauled in a team-high four rebounds.

Webster led the Aces (7-21, 5-13 MVC) with 17 points and a game-high eleven rebounds. Andre Burton came off the bench and chipped 13 points for Evansville, while Clint Cuffle scored eleven for UE. The Purple Aces enjoyed a 37-22 rebounding advantage over the Sycamores.

Indiana State finishes the season 9-19, while Evansville advanced to Saturday’s (March 6) quarterfinal round, where the Purple Aces lost 93-67 to top-seed Southern Illinois. The Salukis were then upset by Number five seed Southwest Missouri State 80-74 at the Savvis Center Sunday (March 7) afternoon.

The entire Sycamores' 2003-2004 men's basketball season has been carried live via Internet Audio streaming on USA-365.com. Brian Fritz called the play-by-play and Jim Waugh provided the color commentary. Be sure to check back often for updates on future plans for live sports coverage on USA-365.com.

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