ISU Sycamores beat Creighton Bluejays, 74-72

TERRE HAUTE, IN (1-12-2005) – In a game that saw nine lead changes and two ties, the Indiana State men's basketball team knocked off Creighton 74-72 Wednesday (Jan. 12) to earn its first MVC win of the season. The Sycamores shot a season-high 54.5 percent (24-of-44) from the floor while Creighton converted 24-of-49 shots (.490).

Trailing by ten with 17:35 to play, the Sycamores went on a 9-0 run to cut the Creighton lead to one (42-41). The Bluejays answered with a jumper by Tyler McKinney, but was never able to extend the lead to more than five down the stretch. ISU was helped down the stretch by excellent free throw shooting, hitting 9-of-13 in the final five minutes.

Amani Daanish led all scorers with a season-best 20 points. The Los Angeles, Calif. native finished the game with 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, 8-of-11 from the free throw stripe and three rebounds. Tyson Schnitker and David Moss each chipped in with 13 points. Gabriel Moore (12 points) and Brandon Ray (10 points) each added career-highs in the winning effort for the Sycamores.

Nate Funk led the Bluejays with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Johnny Mathies added 16 points and a game-high six rebounds for Creighton. Jimmy Motz came off the bench to pitch in 14 points for the Bluejays. Creighton's bench out-scored the Sycamores 24-15. The Bluejays notched one more rebound than ISU, 29-28 and scored 11 second-chance points, compared to the Sycamores' six.

The Sycamores improve to 6-10 on the season (1-4 MVC). Creighton drops to 10-6 (2-3 MVC). ISU returns to the court on Saturday (Jan. 15), when the Sycamores host Wichita State. Tip-off is set for 6:05 p.m. (CST) at the Hulman Center. USA-365.com provides live Internet audio streaming with Brian Fritz providing the play-by-play and Jim Waugh with the color commentary. The pre-game show starts Saturday, Jan. 15 at 5:40 p.m., CST (6:40 p.m., EST) with the tip-off set for 6:05 p.m., CST (7:05 p.m., EST) on www.USA-365.com.

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