ST. LOUIS, MO. – MVC Newcomer of the Year Ryan Conwell tallied a game-high 20 points to propel No. 1 seed Indiana State into the semifinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with an 75-59 victory past Missouri State Saturday at the Enterprise Center.
The Sycamores, the regular season MVC champion, picked up a fifth straight win to extend their record to 27-5 — just the third time in program history that ISU earned 27 wins or more. Indiana State advanced to the semifinal round for the 10th time including second straight year.
The Sycamores had four players reach double-figures for the 15th time this season and improved to 14-1 when doing so.
First-team all-MVC performer Robbie Avila had 14 points and a career-high tying two blocks. Jayson Kent earned his team-leading eighth double-double of the year with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He had 19 (8, 11) in the previous two matchups against Missouri State. It marked the 11th time this season he had 10-plus rebounds in a game.
Conwell, who averaged 24.5 points (25, 24) in two games vs. Missouri State, enjoyed his eighth 20-plus scoring game. He scored 13 points in the second half for Indiana State which broke away from a 34-31 halftime lead. Isaiah Swope added 13 points in the contest.
ISU had an assist on 10 of their first 11 buckets in the second half, finishing with 23, the 11th time collecting 20-plus assists in a game this season. Julian Larry led the way with a game-high nine assists for the Sycamores.
Missouri State, which had a two-game winning streak snapped, closed out the season with a 17-16 record. The Bears had a season-low three made three point baskets.
Meanwhile, Indiana State opened the second half making four of six shots from three-point range, including two from Larry. Indiana State used a 7-0 run midway through the second half to extend its lead to 61-49, enjoying a double-figure lead the remaining 7:15 of the game.
Missouri State’s N.J. Benson scored 12 points with 10 rebounds, to go along with a career-high four assists and game-high five blocks. He reached his 10th double-double of the season, including five of the last six games. Donovan Clay, playing his final game for the Bears, scored a team-high 18 points. Alston Mason, the Bears’ leading scorer on the season, finished with 12 points.