Indiana State beats Illinois State 65-57 in MVC quarterfinal
ST. LOUIS (AP) Brenton Scott scored 14 points and Indiana State never trailed in the second half and beat Illinois State 65-57 on Friday night in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Niels Bunschoten added 11 points for the sixth-seeded Sycamores (15-16), who play No. 2 seed Evansville (24-8) in Saturday's semifinal.
MiKyle McIntosh had 17 points and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for No. 3 seed Illinois State (18-14), which shot just 23 percent in the first half and finished 20 of 64 from the floor for 31-percent shooting overall.
Indiana State had its largest lead, 43-26 with 14 minutes remaining. The Redbirds pulled to 61-57 and had a chance to pull closer after the Sycamores committed a turnover with 41 seconds left.
McIntosh missed a 3, Bunschoten blocked Justin McCloud's layup attempt, and Akoon-Purcell missed another 3-point attempt on the Redbirds' next possession. The Sycamores then made 4 of 5 free throws to seal it.
