ST. LOUIS, MO.   —  Sophomore Robbie Avila made a career-high five three-point baskets to pace a balanced attack as No. 1 seed Indiana State advanced to the championship of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 94-72 victory past No. 4 seed UNI Saturday afternoon at the Enterprise Center.
 
The Sycamores picked up a sixth straight win to extend their record to 28-5 — the second most wins in school history trailing the 33 by the 1978-79 Final Four team.
 
Avila led a perimeter attack that saw the Sycamores make 15 three-point baskets which tied for No. 2 in the MVC Tournament single-game three-point basket made list, trailing only 16 by Indiana State against Belmont in a 2023 quarterfinal round game
 
It marked the Sycamores sixth trip to the championship but first since 2014.  This marked the 30th time the No. 1 seed has advanced to the championship of the MVC Tournament, including the second straight year. 
 
Avila was one of four players to score in double figures for the Sycamores joined by teammates Ryan Conwell-20, Julian Larry-17 and Isaiah Swope-15.  Swope also made five three-point baskets reaching 100 treys for the season.
 
The Sycamores surpassed 90 points for the 11th time this season. ISU had 22 assists, reaching the 20+ mark in assists for the 12th time this season. 
 
Conwell, the MVC Newcomer of the Year, earned his fifth double-double of the season, and third in the last five games, with 20 points and career-high 13 rebounds. Larry had a game-high seven assists. 
 
UNI, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 19-14 overall.  Junior center Jacob Hutson scored a season-high 21 points, including 13 in the first half, for the Panthers. Junior guard Bowen Born scored 12 points, while junior guard Nate Heise, who scored just six points in the previous matchup with ISU scored 10.
 
The trio of Avila (14), Swope (12) and Conwell (12) combined for 38 of Indiana State’s 44 points as the Sycamores enjoyed a 44-33 halftime lead, shooting 51.6 percent (16-31) from the floor including eight three-point baskets. 

With the score tied at 5-5, the Sycamores came out firing making eight of their next 10 shots, including five straight three-point baskets (three from Avila) while racing to a 27-15 lead. A layup by Avila expanded the lead to 34-15 with 9:01 remaining.
 
The Sycamores shot a sizzling 63.3 percent (19-30) in the second half. Indiana State made eight straight shots in a 4:52 period midway through the second half to blow the game open enjoying a 70-44 cushion following a three-point basket from Jayson Kent who also grabbed eight rebounds in the second half.