Sycamores beat Central State in season opener, 84-60

TERRE HAUTE, IN (11-18-2005) – The Sycamores built a double-digit lead and carried it through most of the game to finish the season opener with a 84-60 victory over Central State on Friday. David Moss led the Sycamores with 23 points, while William Gaines poured in 24 for the Marauders.

Both teams came out at a break-neck pace with players pushing the tempo of the game on both sides of the court. After the first five minutes the Sycamores had built an 11-6 advantage and finished the half with a double digit lead at 43-29. ISU outshot Central State, connecting on 51 percent of its field goals, while limiting CSU to 37 percent from the floor in the first half.

“We got a lot of different guys going early,” Moss said about his four assists in the first half. “It gave us a big boost to get different people involved like that.”

The second half had an electrifying beginning when senior Darron Evans found Moss on a back-door alley-oop for the first bucket of the half. The Sycamore lead in the second balooned to as much as 25, while the defense forced eight second-half turnovers and frustrated the Marauder offense.

“We played with a lot of confidence,” freshman guard Jeremiah Wise said. “We communicated well tonight and got the job done.”

The Trees will look to continue their success in 2005-06 when they host the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 26 at 3:05 p.m., CST. 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 at 2:45 p.m. (CST), with the tip-off set for 3:05 p.m., CST on www.USA-365.com.

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