Down in the Valley

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Well, who saw that coming?

Most, including myself, thought ISU would cruise past Coastal Carolina and struggle against Western Kentucky on its home floor. Turns out it was just the opposite as the Chanticlers dropped the Sycamores 77-62 on Monday, while the Sycamores pulled out a thrilling 64-63 victory over WKU on Tuesday after they had dominated much of the game.

Cal State-Northridge had nearly beaten WKU the previous night, so it was the most unpredictable Preseason NIT venue in the consolation rounds.

A few thoughts:
[] The unsung heroes of the WKU win were Josh Crawford, Aaron Carter and Koang Doluony.

Crawford got ISU’s offense going in the first half when he scored six points in quick succession. Once WKU had to respect his scoring inside, all kinds of opportunities opened up for ISU’s guards on the outside, both for shots and for penetration.

Carter’s stat line wasn’t all that great — 7 points and a rebound — but Carter’s activity in the paint in the first half was impressive. He wasn’t getting rebound credit for some of the balls he was keeping alive that other Sycamores pulled in for rebounds. In many respects, Carter’s effort was the genesis of the intensity ISU played with for the last 30 minutes of the game.

Doluony’s impact was felt in the second half when WKU began to do a better job on ISU’s primary scorers and when Dwayne Lathan got into foul trouble. Doluony made a pair of free throws and a long two-point bucket to give the Sycamores a needed boost of offense when they were starting to flag.

[] The game also produced some things to be concerned about. ISU has had trouble with the press in its last few games and WKU forced a key turnover from it during their two-minute comeback when Lathan threw the ball away.

The way ISU generally breaks a press is to inbound to Jake Kelly or Jordan Printy in the right corner, who then passes it back to the Sycamore who made the inbounds pass underneath the basket, usually Harry Marshall or Lathan. ISU foes are putting a hard trap on the initial pass in the corner and putting another defender on the inbounds passer under the basket. So Kelly or Printy are usually cornered, with no high-percentage pass to make. That was certainly the case against the Hilltoppers.

[] Kelly’s jump shot has been off all season, he was 0-for-3 from 3-point range and 3 of 9 overall. Kelly’s been helping the Sycamores by getting to the line and he thrives when the tempo is up, as it was tonight. I think the upcoming nine-day break will help Kelly a lot, he’s just in a shooter’s funk shooters go through.

[] Marshall was holding his left shoulder late in the game. He told me after the game it was no big deal, he just had a stinger.

[] ISU not only stopped WKU’s 15-game home-court winning streak, it avoided becoming the victim in WKU’s 500th win at the venerable facility. Diddle Arena is a great place to watch a game, ISU and WKU should consider starting up a series.

As you might guess, WKU fans were very upset about the call Rashad Reed drew to ultimately win the game. There was some ice thrown on the floor after it ended and the officials were escorted by several of Kentucky’s finest lawmen after the game was over.

You just don’t expect to get that call on a three-quarter court lob and quick shot, much less as a road team.

The only call I can think that comes close as an equivalent, and it was a totally different situation, was when Drake’s Pete Eggers drew a call on ISU’s Jared Adler in 2004-05 at Hulman Center with no time on the clock. Eggers made free throws to force overtime and the Bulldogs eventually won against a dispirited Sycamore team.

In that case, it had nothing to do with a three quarter-court lob, Eggers was near the free throw line and leaned in for a shot, Adler was stationary, but got called for a foul anyway.

(Adler might as well have started every game he played with one foul. He was legitimately foul-prone, but he also suffered from the reputation of being foul-prone, so by the time he was a senior, the MVC refs would err on the side of Adler on borderline calls, and many that weren’t borderline. It’s a hard rep for players to shake.)

[] ISU’s next opponent — Arkansas State — is 2-1. The Red Wolves have dusted MacMurray and Southeast Missouri State and were blasted by UTEP. They play Tennessee-Martin tonight before the Sycamores make the trek to Jonesboro, Ark. for Sunday’s game.

Arkansas State rallied to beat ISU 56-54 at Hulman Center last year after the Sycamores had blown a double-digit second half lead. It was one of the worst losses for ISU in last year’s 0-7 start.

Arkansas State guard Donald Boone, who scored 26 last year in ASU’s win, suffered a season-ending knee injury in ASU’s win over MacMurray.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Hello all. Indiana State will try to recover after an embarrassing loss to Coastal Carolina on Monday. Beating Western Kentucky in its own house will be very difficult to pull off.

Understand one thing. Coastal Carolina was not a bad team, but given the potential that ISU believes it has, and certainly, the expectations the Sycamore fan base has, losing to a mid-pack Big South Conference team looks bad right now no matter how good the Chanticleers end up being. When a team like ISU has higher expectations of itself, losses to programs like Coastal Carolina are magnified as a result.

In a kind of back-handed compliment, Coastal Carolina’s victory was one of the biggest it has had in its school history. The Chants had never beaten a Missouri Valley Conference team, so this was big time.

Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis, who has been coaching since the Nixon administration, said as much:

“When you’re in the NIT, it sets the stage and it gives Coastal Carolina an opportunity. We won two out of three games and we played Duke closer than anybody [last week]. I think the stage has been for us to get some attention. This is stage that’s set for you to take advantage of. We have a chance to win three games tomorrow, which is huge.”

Ellis also had kind words about the Sycamores:

“We beat a good team, Indiana State is a good team that has a lot of weapons. This team is going to make a lot of noise because they can drive, they can shoot, and their defense is good.”

All that said, the lack of any sense of urgency on anything except trying to get off shots was disquieting. ISU hurried attempts down the floor, went for low percentage shots at inopportune times (a pair of failed second-half alley-oop attempts from Jake Kelly to Dwayne Lathan chief among them) and didn’t defend as hard as they’re capable of. The worst case of this was when Kierre Greenwood had an open look off an inbounds pass under the CCU basket when ISU had time to set its defense.

Perhaps it’s all an aberration and this game will ultimately be viewed that way. Every basketball team drops a couple of games a year they shouldn’t, even elite programs. Time will tell.

Of course, WKU struggled against Cal State-Northridge last night, winning 68-67, so perhaps credit should be given to CCU and Northridge, two teams that came to play.

Northridge just defeated CCU 76-69 as the Matadors pulled away in the last two minutes. Joseph Harris, who tormented ISU on Monday, scored 20 points and had 8 rebounds. Greenwood, who lit up the Sycamores for 17, scored 10 against the Matadors.

Tonight’s game
ISU will try to do it again tonight without the services of forward Carl Richard, who is out with a shoulder injury. Richard has had much of an impact offensively so far, but his defense was missed against Coastal Carolina yesterday and it will be again against a WKU team that is similar in make-up.

ISU experimented with Koang Doluony last night in the starting lineup, but tonight the Sycamores go with Brant Leitnaker, Rashad Reed, Dwayne Lathan, Harry Marshall and Jake Kelly. WKU starts Sergio Kerusch, A.J. Slaughter, Steffphon Pettigrew, Jeremy Evans and Anthony Sally.

WKU’s students are already out, so they don’t expect a huge crowd at Diddle Arena. I stuck around and watched a bit of the WKU-Northridge game last night and it was a pretty sedate, half-empty Diddle Arena.

WKU’s famous Big Red mascot, a big red blob, is making the rounds. He’s looks a lot like McDonaldland character Grimace, I wonder if Big Red fell from McDonaldland grace? If so, I can understand why … big purple Grimace could easily take Big Red in a fight. Winner gets a McDonald’s shake.

Enough bull, time for the game.

First half
[] WKU 8-6, 14:16. ISU at the line. ISU got off to a slow start, with two turnovers and a pair of missed buckets on its first four possessions, but Josh Crawford gave the Sycamores a lift inside with a pair of turnaround jumpers.

Both teams are neutralizing the other’s top scorers. ISU is doing so with a 2-3 zone. Anthony Sally is getting to the hole and has 4 points to lead the ‘Toppers.

[] ISU 12-10, 10:41. Once in a while, Crawford shows what he’s capable of, and tonight is apparently one of those nights. Crawford has six points to lead the Sycamores as he has been active in the paint. Also active has been Aaron Carter, who has no points, but has kept a couple of Sycamore possessions alive by fighting for boards.

ISU is defending well, but WKU is also missing some open looks. WKU is shooting 33.3 percent.

[] ISU 18-13, 8:59. WKU calls a timeout as ISU is currently on a 8-3 run. Jordan Printy got two points when Cliff Dixon goaltended a Printy layup. After a WKU miss, Reed made a long two to put the Sycamores up five.

[] ISU 18-15, 7:41. Dixon just scored off an offensive rebound to get the ‘Toppers back within a possession. According to the scoring monitor, ISU has a 17-5 edge in rebounds. Whoa. That’s a switch.

[] ISU 28-19, 3:14. The Sycamores have their intensity back as WKU is reeling. ISU is on a 9-2 run, fueled by a nifty Marshall spin and layup, a Kelly crossover and layup, a Lathan 3-pointer, and a Reed steal and breakaway.

ISU is shutting down WKU scorers Kerusch and Slaughter. Kerusch has 3 points, Slaughter has nothing.

[] ISU 35-21, halftime. There are some boos being heard here at Diddle Arena as ISU had an excellent first half. ISU’s zone gave WKU trouble early and the Hilltoppers have not snapped out of its funk, they are shooting 29 percent from the field. Slaughter, WKU’s leading scorer, still has no points.

ISU’s board advantage, which is now 23-14, is a real eye-opener. The key to that is the guards and small forwards are coming in to help, notably Kelly and Carter. ISU is doing tonight what it could have done against LSU last week.

Lathan is having an excellent half with 12 points. What I like most about Lathan, besides his energy and defense, is his ability to put his body in the right position on drives to the basket to get the highest percentage shot.

WKU seemed confused defensively as it initially did a pretty good job cutting off ISU’s weave and handoffs at the top of the key, but once Crawford got going inside and once ISU’s guards began to get penetration, the Hilltoppers were lost.

Best of all, from ISU’s perspective, is that the Sycamores aren’t in a shell after last night’s disappointing loss. Make no mistake, though, WKU is going to make a run. This isn’t over by any means.

The women’s release just popped into my e-mail. Is that right? ISU won 72-28? Wow. Talk about good defense.

Second half
[] If you’re watching on a live feed, WKU’s Jeremy Evans has switched numbers. He’s wearing No. 32.

[] Slaughter is badly hurt for WKU. He is on the floor at the WKU free throw line and has been down for several minutes. I didn’t see what happened, but based on Slaughter’s body language, he might have hit his head, either on the floor or in a collision with another player. He’s now being helped to the locker room.

[] ISU 42-29, 15:23. An extraordinarily eventful first four minutes-plus ends with ISU clinging to its double-digit lead as the Diddle crowd is getting into it.

Slaughter shook off his cobwebs and returned to action for WKU, providing a lift to the crowd. He scored at the line upon entering the game.

ISU is getting some whistles that might be construed as questionable, but that’s life on the road. Reed just got away with a blatant double-dribble on a layup, so these things do even out a bit.

[] ISU 49-37, 11:34. WKU at the line. WKU got as close as seven, but ISU withstood the storm and answered with a 7-0 run. Oddly, ISU’s good fortune was partially fueled by WKU as Dixon was called for offensive goaltending on a shot that probably would have fallen for WKU anyway.

The pace of this game is brisk and both teams are playing with good intensity. Very entertaining stuff.

Of concern to ISU is that WKU is already in the bonus, although the ‘Toppers are just 4 of 10 at the line.

[] ISU 53-44, 5:59. You get the feeling the WKU run is coming, especially since ISU has slowed on the offensive end. Slaughter got the ‘Toppers with seven again on a 3-pointer, but Marshall made a 20-footer to put the Sycamores up nine.

Lathan got his fourth foul at 9:50 and that has had a major impact on both ends for ISU. Other than Slaughter, who seemed to be woken up by his earlier injury, WKU hasn’t woken up completely as a team yet. Hold on, this one is destined to go down to the wire.

[] ISU 57-49, 3:31. ISU at the line. Most of ISU’s regular contributors have been shut down, but Koang Doluony has given the Sycamores a big lift. He drew a foul going for a defensive rebound, went to the line and made two. On ISU’s next possession, he made a 20-footer to put the Sycamores up by 11. Jameson Tipping has since made a 3-pointer for WKU.

Being a road game, you still don’t feel safe if you’re ISU. The Diddle crowd is into the game. ISU needs to stay focused.

[] ISU 59-52, 2:17. Slaughter worked for an open 3-pointer to give the ‘Toppers hope. Marshall then threw the ball away on ISU’s end, as he got off his feet on a attempted pass to Dwayne Lathan and tossed it out of bounds. Time to bite those fingernails if you’re an ISU fan.

Slaughter has 15 points, all scored since he hit his head on the floor early in the half.

[] ISU 63-58, 1:14. WKU at the line. ISU is hanging on by a thread. After Marshall converted a three-point play at 1:51 to put ISU up nine, the Sycamores fell apart. Slaughter scored on a nice layup up the middle. WKU put a press on and Lathan threw it away. Slaughter got an open 3-pointer and drained it for WKU.

[] ISU 63-60, :38.7. After Pettigrew hit a pair of free throws, ISU worked the clock, but Marshall was guarded on a 3-point attempt and he missed with 43 seconds left. WKU has the ball. Why do I have the feeling Mr. Slaughter is going to play into this?

[] ISU 63-60, :14.1. ISU’s Lathan at the line. With Marshall guarding him, Slaughter took the would-be game-tying shot, but it went long off the rim and was rebounded by Leitnaker. The ball eventually got to Lathan, who was fouled. He missed the first at the line.

WKU’s clock operator might have been the goat. The clock never stopped when Lathan was fouled and nearly five seconds ran off. They restored it to 14.1

[] 63-63, :00.1. Miracle finish possibly in the cards for ISU. Tipping made a miraculous off-balance 3-pointer, but there was :00.6 seconds left. Marshall lobbed it to Reed, who caught it, leaned towards the bucket and was hit by Evans. A foul was called and after the officials looked at it, they determined Reed released before the lights went on the backboard. Diddle Arena is going to explode if Reed makes one.

[] ISU 64-63, final. Reed made the first and ISU gets a huge victory. Some debris is on the floor at Diddle as officials got a police escort off the floor.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Hello all. ISU is here at E.A. Diddle Arena, the “E.A.” stands for “empty arena” for now, but that won’t be the case when the Hilltoppers play later tonight and tomorrow against the Sycamores.

A couple of items. First the good news as Dwayne Lathan was named Newcomer of the Week by the Missouri Valley Conference. Lathan richly deserved it, having averaged 14.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in ISU’s games against LSU, Milwaukee and Colorado State last week. On the women’s side, Kelsey Luna was the MVC Women’s Player of the Week. Luna is on one heck of a roll for the women’s team, who play at home tomorrow against Southeast Missouri State.

The bad news is that Carl Richard didn’t make the trip. His left shoudler is hurting so he decided to stay in Terre Haute. He is still officially day-to-day, but obviously he won’t playing in either game here at WKU.

Diddle Arena is a fascinating venue. There are Roberts Stadium-style luxury boxes at the top of the arena, only they aren’t nearly as far removed from the arena floor as the ones at Evansville are. I’m not certain when they were built, but they look recent and they cost $30K a pop.

The building has a feel of a spruced-up version of the old Hammons Arena at Missouri State. Like Hammons, the seats are right on the floor and this place will get loud. WKU hasn’t won 14 in a row here for nothing.

Starting lineups are submitted. Brant Leitnaker, Rashad Reed, Harry Marshall, Jake Kelly and Koang Dulouny will start for the Sycamores. It is Doluony’s first career start. Coastal Carolina will start Joseph Harris, Sam McLaurin, Logan Johnson, Mario Edwards and Kierre Greenwood. Harris, a 6-foot-5 forward who is averaging a double-double (15.8 ppg, 12.3 rpg), will be a load.

The Chanticleers and Sycamores hooked up in the first ISU basketball game I covered for the Tribune-Star, a 70-46 ISU win in 2004 at Hulman Center. I’d like to pull some anecdote out from that game, but I remember virtually nothing about it. Perhaps I was put into a permanent daze by my first exposure to Royce Waltman’s sideline “show” (which I had a front seat for and miss a lot).

Almost time for tipoff.

First half
[] 5-5, 15:45. Shaky start for ISU. CCU’s press has forced a couple of turnovers and Doluony has two fouls already, one of them an extremely odd call as CCU’s Logan Johnson appeared to pulling on Doluony as he tried to break the press.

[] CCU 13-11, 11:25. ISU was down 11-5 at one point with five turnovers as the Chanticleers’ press was very effective. Aaron Carter has boosted ISU’s situation somewhat with a pair of buckets in transition. The speed of the game has quickened noticeably as both teams are firing up the first open shot they get.

[] CCU 17-14, 8:19. ISU is extremely fortunate to only be down three. The Sycamores have eight turnovers, some via CCU’s press, some via plain, old sloppiness. ISU’s saving grace has been the Chants’ inability to score off of ISU’s turnovers.

[] CCU 17-16, 7:45. Harris at the line for CCU. Harry Marshall made a pair of free throws just before the media timeout to slice ISU’s deficit to one.

One reason CCU’s press is effective is that the Chants have several players that have Koang Doluony-style length. The ball is going to one of ISU’s smaller guards like Rashad Reed in the corner and CCU uses its length and aggressiveness to force turnovers.

Then again, some of ISU’s turnovers were unforced. An over-and-back and a Carter throw away on an inbounds pass among them.

[] ISU 25-23, 3:58. Harris at the line for CCU. Jordan Printy just gave ISU its first lead on a 20-foot bucket, but Lathan got a loose ball foul as Printy’s shot fell as he pushed off on a rebound. It’s a play that symbolizes ISU’s day so far as they can’t pull away from the Chants.

ISU is playing good defense again, at least as far as empty possessions are concerned for CCU. The Chants have come up empty on four of its last five trips down the floor. CCU is shooting 31 percent.

[] CCU 34-33, halftime. While ISU was waiting around for someone to get going offensively, the Chanticleers got on with it. A 7-0 CCU run put the Chants on top 34-28 as ISU got turnover-prone again. CCU also hurt ISU when it tried to play zone defense as Logan Johnson made a 3-pointer over the top of it.

The final minute of action got ISU back in it as Leitnaker made a lay-up in transition. After a Printy block, ISU set up for a late shot-clock attempt and Marshall found Printy for a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left. Marshall had a steal and last-second fling from long-range.

Credit CCU for playing good defense on the Sycamores, especially away from the ball as the Chants are putting the clamps on ISU’s cutters and making passes difficult. ISU only has three assists so far. That said, ISU is playing sloppy too, as evidenced by 10 turnovers.

No one on the Sycamores has really found their offensive rhythm. Carter, Printy, Leitnaker and Lathan all co-lead ISU with five points each.

ISU does have a 19-13 rebounding edge and it is shooting 43.5 percent. Still, the Sycamores need to play better if they have any hope of winning this game, much less tomorrow’s game against WKU.

Second half
[] CCU 46-38, 15:50. Lathan at the line for ISU. You keep waiting for CCU to go away, but it’s just the opposite, the Chanticleers are putting their foot down. A 9-0 run started the second half as CCU pulled out to a 42-33 lead. ISU answered with a quick 5-0 run to cut its deficit to 42-38, but on came CCU again, scoring in transition, including one bucket off a Leitnaker layup.

Just as worrying for ISU are the three personal fouls for Lathan and Marshall.

[] CCU 54-41, 11:43. CCU at the line. The wheels have fallen off for ISU as the Sycamores are playing very poor on both ends. ISU had two possessions on the offensive end that were ended (or started as the case may be) by fouls.

ISU’s defense has fallen off badly too, as Harris has 11 of his 19 points since halftime. The most telling play was on a CCU inbounds pass under its own basket with three seconds left on the shot clock when Greenwood converted an open runner. Three Sycamore defenders were well within range of him, but could do nothing.

[] CCU 59-50, 8:09. Leitnaker just converted a layup and McKenna called a timeout just before the scheduled media timeout. ISU is doing a better job on the offensive end, but are still letting chances go by, including an attempted Jake Kelly-to-Lathan alley-oop, which was not ideal for the situation.

ISU is still getting killed by CCU’s press. The Sycamores have 16 turnovers. Lathan also has four fouls.

[] CCU 61-50, 7:05. CCU’s Chad Gray converted a turnaround jumper to restore the Chants’ double-digit lead.

Kevin McKenna preaches “simple plays” all the time on the offensive end for the Sycamores, but they’re not heeding that mantra right now. Besides the ill-fated alley-oop, Marshall just air-balled an attempt to draw a foul on a 3-point attempt when he got his defender in the air. It wasn’t necessarily a bad choice, but it was a lower-percentage choice than simply running the offense would have been.

[] CCU 66-52, 5:30. Folks … barring a miracle … it’s over. ISU cannot convert on its end and it can’t stop CCU on the Chants’ end as Coastal Carolina is imposing its will on ISU. A Logan Johnson 3-pointer put CCU up 16 at the 5:50 mark after Leitnaker missed a would-be dunk.

[] CCU 72-55, 3:04. Gray at the line for one for CCU. It’s dicey to question the focus of players, but ISU’s lack of execution and inability to play within itself makes it an open question. ISU is making very bad choices on the offensive end — another Kelly-Lathan alley-oop went horribly wrong — and the Sycamores cannot make a stop on the defensive end.

CCU is a good team, better than I thought they’d be, but they’re no better than Milwaukee or Colorado State. This should not be happening to the Sycamores.

[] CCU 77-62, final.An extraordinarily disappointing loss for the Sycamores, who got pounded every which way in the second half. The Chanticleers deserve credit for punching ISU in the mouth with their press and aggressiveness on the offensive end … the Sycamores never had a response, which is clearly very hard to stomach for anyone who follows the Sycamores.

TERRE HAUTE — Hello all. Indiana State makes a brief cameo back in its home state for the its first foray into the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge against Colorado State. I feel like I need a passport to be in the state of Indiana I’ve been gone so much with wither basketball or football.

ISU administrators, staff, coaches and players are excited about its pregame videoboard ceremony as Larry Bird had an appearance filmed earlier this week for the school. Should be interesting to see what Bird can do to get Sycamore fans fired up.

Nothing untoward or unusual going on with the Sycamores. Starting lineups should be submitted shortly.

The Hulman Center crowd will likely be down tonight as the Big Four basketball jamboree is running concurrently with this game at Terre Haute North. Additionally, the game is being broadcast by WFXW tonight.

Starters for ISU: Brant Leitnaker, Rashad Reed, Harry Marshall, Carl Richard and Jake Kelly, unchanged from Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee.

Starters for CSU: Travis Franklin, Adam Nigon, Harvey Perry, Dorian Green and Andy Ogide. The Rams have had the same starting lineup all season. Andre McFarland is actually CSU’s leading scorer at 13.7 off the bench.

Officials are John Higgins, Bob Staffin and Bob Vetkoetter. Higgins and Staffin are both semi-regulars at Hulman Center.

Last and certainly not least, a shout-out to my wife Kathleen. Today is our 10th anniversary and here I am working. She is always patient with me given the crazy hours it takes to do this job and I love her for it.

First half
[] I might have spoken too soon about the crowd. It’s decent, and if you factor in that some of it has been taken away by the jamboree, it bodes for well for attendance for the rest of the home schedule.

[] Larry Bird just told Hulman Center via videoboard, “All right Indiana State fans, get on your feet, this is our house.” Nice to see Bird get involved with the program. The fans obviously liked it too. Bird also passed the ball in the Sycamores pre-game intro.

[] CSU 12-6, 15:38. Excellent offensive start for the Rams, who have made 5 of 6 from the field. Ogide gave the Sycamores trouble inside, scoring the first two buckets for CSU. When ISU doubled him inside, the Rams kicked it out to Green and Perry for 3-point buckets. The Sycamores hung with the Rams on its end early, but turnovers by Leitnaker and Kelly, along with a missed bucket by Richard have put the Sycamores behind.

[] Wireless issues have knocked out two different posts. Apologies.

[] ISU 23-19, 5:24. CSU took a 19-10 lead at one point, making 7 of 9 to start from the field. Since then, the Rams have come up empty on eight consecutive trips down the floor.

[] ISU 27-19, 3:51. CSU at the line. The ISU run has grown to a 17-0 run and its primarily been fueled by CSU turnovers. The Rams have turned it over five times during ISU’s run as the Sycamore defensive pressure improves every time they get a conversion on their end.

The conversions were slow in coming, but have come via the 3-pointer. Aaron Carter bombed away at 7:17 to pull ISU within two and Kelly drained one at 6:04 to put ISU in front. Jordan Printy’s 3-pointer build the lead further with inside buckets from Lathan and Isiah Martin coming since.

[] 29-29, halftime. My wireless is acting extremely batty, so I lost another post, hopefully I won’t lose this one. CSU used the three-ball to get back in it — consecutive treys by Green and McFarland got the Rams within striking range and a 20-footer by McFarland at 1:03 tied it. ISU’s hot streak ended abruptly, the Sycamores didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:03.

CSU is shooting 55 percent from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range. ISU is shooting 42.9 percent and 3 of 11 from 3-point range. Nearly every category is even: rebounds (11-10 CSU), assists (6-4, CSU), turnovers (11 for CSU, 7 for ISU). Oddly, there are no second-chance points for either team.

Green, who’s very smooth for a freshman, leads the Rams with 10 points. McFarland has 8 points. Marshall leads ISU with 8 points. Jake Kelly has 5 points.

An even game and I expect the same in the second half.

Second half
[] ISU 38-34, 15:29. Lathan at the line for ISU. The Sycamores have been a second-half team so far this season and they got off to a good start in this second half. A 7-0 run built a gap as a Leitnaker putback and a Richard 3-pointer loomed large. However, the Green-McFarland tandem is keeping the Rams in it … Green converted a layup and McFarland a 3-pointer on the Rams’ last two trips down the floor.

Richard, who has his left shoulder bandaged, looked to be in pain when he was replaced. His arm seemed to be hanging a bit funny.

[] ISU 39-36, 11:32. Both team’s defenses have come to the fore as points have suddenly become scarce. ISU hasn’t scored in six trips down the floor, CSU hasn’t scored in its last five. Obviously, neither team have been able to get their catalysts going.

Richard returned to the game and is playing through whatever pain he has.

[] ISU 43-40, 8:52. Isiah Martin and Marshall might have just given ISU a spark. Martin blocked a shot, Marshall saved the ball from going out of bounds and flipped it over his head. Reed caught it near the 3-point line and dished to Lathan in transition, who converted ISU’s first field goal in eight minutes. Timeout CSU.

The Rams were not happy on their possession before the Martin block as Ogide appeared to clearly be fouled by Lathan, but the Sycamores got away with a no-call.

[] ISU 45-41, 7:57. CSU’s Franklin at the line. CSU is doing a good job setting down screens for Franklin, who also went to the line on the Rams’ previous possession. ISU is playing Martin extensive minutes as he is a better matchup for CSU’s longer, more athletic big men than either Crawford or Leitnaker.

[] ISU 53-44, 4:54. The Sycamores achieved a bit of a breakthrough when Marshall backed down his defender to put ISU up seven after Ogide had made a couple at the line for CSU. Green then missed a runner for the Rams and Lathan was found for an emphatic jam to get the crowd going. Lathan straddled really close to technical territory when he hung on the rim, but got away with it.

[] ISU 55-46, 3:06. Lathan made a 14-footer on the possession after his slam to give ISU a double-digit lead. As mentioned, ISU has been a second-half team all season and the Sycamores’ depth is a big reason, although Marshall and Reed have already both logged 30-plus minutes.

ISU is now out-shooting CSU (42.9 percent to 38.5 percent) as the Rams are 21.1 percent in the second half.

[] ISU 57-48, 2:10. Leitnaker batted the ball away from a Rams’ ballhandler and Lathan got another crowd-pleasing dunk in transition. Green just converted a layup for the Rams — their first field goal since the 10:42 mark — and Tim Miles called a CSU timeout to set their press.

[] ISU 59-55, :46.3. It’s getting dicey for the Sycamores as they try to close the deal. A 5-0 run cut ISU’s lead to 57-51 and a turnover against CSU’s press allowed the Rams to close within five. After Lathan was fouled and made just one of two at the line, CSU found Ogide for a layup.

ISU is concentrating its defense on Green and McFarland, but CSU’s other players are converting. ISU needs to make its free throws, its missed 3 of its last 5 at the line.

[] ISU 60-58, :32.6. Kelly missed one of two at the line, followed by Green missing one of two for the Rams. Lathan struggled to get the rebound off Green’s miss and appeared to be fouled in possession of the ball, but there was no call as the ball came loose. During the scramble, Martin was called for his fifth foul, very questionable given that Lathan was hacked worse right before that.

[] ISU 65-60, final. ISU got its free throw act together in the final seconds, making five of six in the final 32.6 seconds to put away a tough one. Lathan led the way with 18 points.

NEW ORLEANS — As I wait to board my flight back to Indianapolis, there’s still no official word from the NIT where Indiana State is headed for their Preseason NIT consolation round games.

That’s curious as it is now 11:30 a.m. (EDT). Pairings were expected to be announced by 9 a.m. today.

As I reported here and in the Tribune-Star, ISU coaches and administrators I talked to in Baton Rouge were certain they were headed to Western Kentucky next Monday and Tuesday. NIT selection committee chairman C.M. Newton was at LSU, so they likely got their info from him.

There’s no reason to believe at this time that WKU won’t be the destination. It’ll be interesting to see who ISU will be paired with because that could potentially be a tough region. Obviously, WKU is very difficult to beat in Diddle Arena. If seeds hold true, it’s conceivable No. 8-seeded Charlotte could be there too, though I don’t know how much the seeds mean as far as the consolation pairings go.

Had ISU gone to LSU, it would likely have got two winnable games as they could not have played the Tigers again. Then again, they would also have likely got two low RPI teams too.

A few other things …
[] Kevin McKenna said in the postgame press conference that it might have been a “blessing in disguise” that Jake Kelly got into first-half foul trouble. McKenna said it was a “blessing” because it helped Kelly stay fresh for the second half, helped him get to the basket and helped Kelly make plays.

Kelly’s foul trouble also got the ball in some other Sycamores’ hands in the first half which ultimately helped ISU overcome an early deficit.

[] McKenna also said Harry Marshall was “hurting” after Monday’s loss to LSU. Marshall played 25 minutes against Milwaukee.

[] McKenna had praise for Aaron Carter, who didn’t play against LSU on Monday. “He gave us 14 minutes of really intense basketball.” He also mentioned that he didn’t hear a peep of complaint out of Carter about not playing against the Tigers.

[] ISU had 31 points off the bench.

[] Josh Crawford still needs to work on his concentration on rebounds. He lost the grip on two sure rebounds — he was uncontested and had two hands on the ball in both cases — but managed to lose the ball which resulted in Milwaukee possessions. It’s hard enough for ISU to get boards, it can’t blow the ones it gets.

[] ISU was 60 percent from 3-point range in the first and second halves. Consistency, instead of spurts here and there, is the optimum for any team.

[] For those of you who listened to the radio broadcast and had technical difficulties, it wasn’t entirely the station’s fault. I was sitting next to Brian Fritz and there were technical problems within the Pete Maravich Center that were causing some of his difficulties. Apparently, the WKU radio crew had similar problems. I’m no engineer, so I have no earthly idea what the issue was, but I thought I’d pass it on.

BATON ROUGE, La — Hello all, or should I say, helleaux all, in the Cajun parlance. The Sycamores are warming up in anticipation of a second-round Preseason NIT matchup against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

I had some time before the game to check out LSU’s campus, which is very nice. Before the game, I walked outside the Maravich Center and checked out the Tiger Tower, an zoo-like enclosure for LSU’s mascot, Mike The Tiger. Mike was taking a nap as tigers are wont to do in the daytime. An LSU official was telling me, bragging actually, that LSU spent $1.5 million on the enclosure, which built in the mid-2000s.

That’s pretty awesome on one hand, on another, it’s completely and totally insane. It’s excess straight out of Scarface, right down to the tiger (Tony Montana also had a tiger in the seminal 1983 cocaine cowboy classic), it’s a tribute/indictment of how collegiate athletics can totally get out of hand when it comes to building monuments to itself.

Luckily, ISU has neither the money nor the right kind of mascot to build a $1.5 million monument to a tree.

As for what you read this blog for, no news to report for the men’s team, everyone’s on the floor warming up. I wanted to be sure and check on Isiah Martin’s knees, wondering perhaps whether they might have limited him from action last night, but I see no evidence of that.

The starting lineup for ISU is: Brant Leitnaker, Rashad Reed, Harry Marshall, Carl Richard and Jake Kelly. Reed starts in place of Jordan Printy.

Delonte Roberts, who came up limping in last night’s 69-65 loss to Western Kentucky, is playing for the Panthers. Also starting is Ricky Franklin, Tony Meier, Jerard Ajami and big James Eayrs. All 6-foot-7, 310 pounds of him.

Let’s get it on.

First half
[] ISU broadcaster Brian Fritz counted about 30 actual fans in the Maravich Center stands. Ah tournament basketball at a neutral site without the host team playing.

[] UWM 12-3, 16:57. Horrible start for the Sycamores. Total lack of effort on defense has allowed Milwaukee to score four easy buckets, including the first three possessions of the game. ISU has been sloppy on the offensive end with two turnovers.

[] UWM 12-6, 15:55. Kelly hit a contested 3-pointer to cut the Sycamore deficit to six, but then picked up his second foul on the Panthers’ next possession.

ISU has three turnovers and seems confused offensively.

[] 18-18, 11:13. ISU’s bench deserves credit for getting the Sycamores calmed down. Once they did, ISU began draining shots. The Sycamores went on a 7-0 run to briefly take the lead. The Sycamores are shooting 70 percent (7-for-10), including a nifty contested 3-pointer by Marshall and a runner by Dwayne Lathan.

The bench also lifted ISU defensively. Isiah Martin took a charge on Jason Avercamp (who is nearly as big as Eayrs) and Milwaukee has come up empty on four of its last five possessions.

[] 18-18, 10:47. Milwaukee is shooting well too, having made 58.3 percent. The Panthers just called a timeout on a loose ball scrum.

[] ISU 28-27, 4:59. Since the last media timeout, the lead changed hands four times as the tempo has been turned up, almost past the point of being too frantic for both teams. The Sycamores took the most recent lead on a Koang Doluony transition dunk, followed by a long two to make it 28-25.

Along with Doluony, Lathan has given ISU a big lift off the bench. He has 6 points and 4 rebounds.

[] ISU 31-30, 2:49. UWM at the line. Right now, ISU’s good shots and prudent choices are coming from their perimeter players. Reed drove and found Aaron Carter for an open three to put ISU up 31-27.

But the Sycamores’ interior players — save Lathan if you want to call him an interior player — are making poor choices on shot selection and helping to keep Milwaukee in it. Carl Richard took a bad turnaround shot, Martin missed a hook that wasn’t a high percentage shot (though not necessarily a bad shot), etc.

[] ISU 38-36, halftime. Marshall made a 3-pointer with 1:57 left to put the Sycamores up four, but ISU got sloppy offensively in the last 1:30 with a pair of turnovers and it allowed Milwaukee to close the gap to tie it.

The officials bailed ISU out on their would-be last shot. Doluony was well short on a leaner. Leitnaker got up for an attempted dunk off the rebound and the officials ruled he was undercut, which was pretty questionable. No matter from ISU’s standpoint, Leitnaker sunk both freebies to give the Sycamores the halftime lead.

The Sycamores are shooting 51.7 percent from the field, 60 percent from 3-point range and are perfect in two trips to the line.

ISU has improved its rebounding, it has a 16-14 edge right now and Milwaukee has just 5 second-chance points. The Sycamores would have a bigger edge if Josh Crawford hadn’t let two sure rebounds slip out of hands when he had two hands collapsed on the ball. ISU even has 9 second-chance points.

Marshall has 9 points and 2 assists. Lathan has 8 points and is a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.

Roberts has 9 points to lead the Panthers.

Second half
[] ISU 42-39, 15:19. ISU is getting excellent play in spurts. Doluony had a great series where he swatted an Eayrs shot on the perimeter, got the ball in transition, missed his teardrop jumper, but went to the floor, got the rebound, flipped it to Reed while still on his back as Reed eventually hit a 17-footer to put ISU up six at the time.

ISU can’t pull away because it can’t string good stretches like that together. The Sycamores have come up empty on their possessions since then.

[] ISU 50-45, 11:48. Reed hit a key 3-pointer at 13:13 to give ISU a gap. Neither team is playing very controlled right now, each following a good trip down the floor with a bad one. Of concern to ISU is that Milwaukee is rebounding better, they now have a 24-23 edge on the boards. However, Milwaukee isn’t doing a sterling job of converting those second-chance opportunities. ISU better hope it stays that way.

Crawford has four fouls. Richard and Kelly have three for ISU.

[] ISU 50-47, 11:12. Milwaukee converted a second-chance bucket to get back within a possession. Lathan was triple-teamed in the paint with the ball and had to call a 30-second timeout to get out of trouble.

[] ISU 56-47, 10:08. The Sycamores finally get a run going, 6-0 right now. Carter converted a difficult reverse layup to put ISU up five, UWM missed on its end and Lathan scored a layup in transition. After a Meier 3-pointer rimmed out, Reed deked the UWM defense and went end-to-end for an uncontested layup. Timeout UWM.

[] ISU 64-54, 6:40. UWM at the line. Reed is single-handedly putting the Panthers on ice. He’s scored half of his 16 points in the last three minutes-plus, including consecutive three’s to keep the Sycamores’ juices flowing. ISU has scored on seven of its last eight trips down the floor.

Milwaukee is hanging in there by answering ISU score-for-score, but the Panthers have fallen off dramatically on the defensive end.

[] ISU 68-60, 4:31. Milwaukee is putting pressure on the Sycamores on the inbounds pass and until it gets in the hands of either Kelly or Reed. Doluony is inbounding the ball, primarily to Lathan, but the pressure is getting to the redshirt freshman a bit. ISU had to call a timeout to bail him out of one predictament.

[] ISU 68-60, 3:35. ISU is trying to milk clock, spreading the ball out even more so than normal. Kelly, who has had an off-day, just got called for a charge on an out-of-control drive to the hole.

The Sycamores have 15 turnovers right now, but are still shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range, thanks largely to Reed’s 4 of 6 performance. Lathan is 6-for-6 and has not missed a shot yet in his ISU career.

[] ISU 74-60, :42.1. Two steals by the Sycamores have iced it. Lathan stepped in front of an errant Milwaukee pass and found Leitnaker in transition for a dunk at the 2:22 mark to make it a 12-point lead. Later, Kelly tipped another errant Milwaukee pass and found Lathan for a highlight show dunk to give ISU its 14-point margin. Lathan and Reed have carried ISU in what’s going to be a good win.

[] ISU 76-63, final. Good way to end the trip for ISU. More to come later after post-game interviews.

[] In the postgame press conference, McKenna was happy with ISU’s defense through both games, holding both LSU and UWM under 35 percent from the field.

[] Leitnaker deserves credit for a good defensive performance on Eayrs, the big man was 4 of 18 from the field. Leitnaker played 26 minutes and was on Eayrs for most of the game.

[] I’ve been told that ISU will either go to Western Kentucky next week or come back here to LSU, should the Tigers lose tonight to WKU, which is a relatively decent possibility.

If ISU comes back to Baton Rouge, there would be no bracket play, ISU would play two teams other than LSU, since they already played the Bayou Bengals.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Just a few postmortem items before I get some midnight food …

[] Aaron Carter’s absence from action was a pure coach’s decision, ISU coach Kevin McKenna confirmed that after the game.

The matchups didn’t favor Carter, that was probably a big part of it. Plus, ISU does need fresh legs for two more games this week.

Keep in mind that ISU not only plays today, but has seven games in 16 days. McKenna almost has to use his roster like a baseball manager uses a pitching staff when he’s got a full week of games with a doubleheader or two thrown in.

[] Isiah Martin played a minute, coming in very briefly in the first half. Martin might have helped on the boards — based on how ISU did, he couldn’t have hurt.

[] The best performance was probably turned in by Koang Doluony, who hit a few shots and played decent defense. Unlike Carter, this game presented a good matchip for Doluony to show what he could do. Better, I liked the way he played without fear.

[] Can’t say the same for Carl Richard, who had a difficult night. He was 0-fer from the field and he still forces questionable shots, gets out of rhythm, and then has trouble making shots he’s capable of making. He also backed off in the paint instead of trying to draw a charge on Bo Spencer when LSU broke ISU’s press in the second half in a six-point game.

[] The rebounding, or lack thereof, was brutal, but part of it was the way ISU threw defenders at Tasmin Mitchell and Bo Spencer. ISU was giving up the paint, to a certain extent, to defend the Tiger pair. Mitchell and Spencer were held down, but at a high cost to the Sycamores.

[] Milwaukee is going to give ISU problems. They also go deep into their rotation, they are athletic and they will also board. I don’t think they’ll defend anywhere near as well as LSU defended ISU on Monday, however, so if ISU can get its shooting touch back, it should be competitive.

[] There were no upsets at any of the four Preseason NIT sites on Monday. If everything holds to seed, ISU will likely (but not assuredly) go to Western Kentucky next Monday and Tuesday for the consolation round of the Preseason NIT.

However, I think WKU can give LSU a game, and yes, beat the Tigers. If that comes to pass, ISU will obviously not be in Bowling Green, Ky. Other possibilities for ISU next week include trips to Charlotte, TCU or Hofstra, all are seeded ahead of the Sycamores. Of the first-round hosts, Arizona State is probably most vulnerable to a loss, so they are theoretically a host possibility. Duke and UConn are longest of long shot possibilities too.

Time to go get a hamburger. See you tomorrow.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Hello all from the Maravich Center. ISU is about an hour away from tipoff here at the spacious Maravich Center.

Right now, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Western Kentucky are wrapped up in a tight game. The Hilltoppers lead 60-57 with 3:40 left in the game. Both teams are athletic and physical, either will be a handful for the Sycamores.

No news to report for the Sycamores, who are watching this game from the stands.

There’s 1:08 left and WKU leads Milwaukee 64-59. I’m rooting for Milwaukee, not just because it’s my hometown, but it’s my parents’ alma mater. Without UWM, I am not on this Earth.

There’s 4.6 seconds left. WKU leads 67-65 with Milwaukee at the line for one.

Milwaukee missed its free throw. WKU is at the line for two with 3.8 ticks left to ice it. They made them both. Hilltoppers win 69-65. A.J. Slaughter had 30 points.

Sergio Kerusch had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the Hilltoppers. Steffphon Pettigrew added 13 points. WKU shot 51 percent from the field. They also had 15 turnovers to nine assists and were outrebounded 34-32.

Milwaukee had five scorers in double-figures, led by James Eayrs’ 13 points. He is a load, with the build of a football guard. Deonte Roberts, who had 10 points and 5 rebounds, came off the floor in the final minute for the Panthers. The Panthers shot 42.6 percent from the field, more than a third of their shots were 3-point attempts.

Starting lineups are up for the Sycamores. Brant Leitnaker, Harry Marshall, Jordan Printy, Carl Richard and Jake Kelly will start, just as they did Friday against Nebraska-Kearney. Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Green, Bo Spencer, Aaron Dotson and Storm Warren will start for the Bayou Bengals.

News from around the Valley … Bradley guard Dodie Dunson broke his arm over the weekend and is likely lost for the season for the Braves. That’s a big blow for them as Dunson is solid.

The crowd at the Maravich Center is sparse, no more than a few thousand. It’s kind of like Thursday night at the MVC Tournament.

It’s still football season down here, and with a top 10 team, a game against rival Ole Miss this weekend, and an opponent (ISU) that doesn’t register much excitement down here, there’s little buzz around this game from the Tigers’ fan standpoint. Incidentally, Tiger Stadium is one heck of an impressive sight.

It’s almost game time. This is the best opportunity ISU will get all season to really make a splash. I think they have a puncher’s chance of doing just that.

First half
[] ISU 4-0, 15:48. The Sycamores have the only field goal so far, a lay-up by Jake Kelly. LSU is 0-for-6 from the field, and even better from the Sycamores’ perspective, have just one second-chance opportunity (which resulted in a turnover). Kelly is guarding Mitchell in man defense (ISU is switching) and doing a good job. Aaron Dotson is having a harder time staying with Kelly on the other end.

ISU is moving the ball well, shots just aren’t falling yet. Good start.

[] ISU 8-4, 11:42. LSU is turning up the defensive pressure and ISU is getting itself into foul trouble, four teams fouls were committed since the last media timeout, including two by Josh Crawford.

LSU is jumping double-teams at Kelly at times. He’s still getting to the basket, he’s just not converting.

Combined shooting for both teams? 4-for-21. LSU is 1 of 13 from the field. That won’t last for either team.

[] 12-12, 7:35. One thing LSU is doing extremely well is jumping its defense out on ISU’s handoffs on the perimeter. The Sycamores have just one 3-point attempt so far as the Tigers are disrupting any rhythm out of those plays.

LSU took a 10-8 lead, ominously getting second-chance buckets to tie and take the lead, but ISU responded with a Marshall jumper, followed by a Marshall steal, who fed it to Crawford, who got to the line for a pair. The Sycamores are hanging in there.

[] LSU 20-14, 3:15. The worm may have just turned against the Sycamores and a sequence at the six-minute mark was key. After a Storm Warren putback — his third putback of the game — tied it, Dwayne Lathan had a shot emphatically blocked (more like spiked) by Dennis Harris, who got out in transition and hauled in an alley-oop to put the Tigers in front. ISU turned it over and Bo Spencer got a bucket in transition to get the Maravich Center crowd on their feet.

[] LSU 22-19, 2:16. ISU is going to have nightmares about Warren, who put LSU in front 22-16 on a powerful dunk off a Spencer 3-point miss. Marshall answered with a banked 3-pointer to keep the Sycamores within one-possession reach. Trent Johnson called a timeout for LSU.

[] LSU 24-19, halftime. If you’d have told me ISU was down just five at halftime, I’d have taken it from ISU’s standpoint.

There’s two worrying aspects for ISU despite the small deficit. One is how well LSU is playing defense. ISU is shooting 28.6 percent from the field, mostly because of LSU disrupting shots ISU normally gets off without trouble and because the Tigers are jumping out on ISU’s handoffs at the perimeter. Rashad Reed, Jordan Printy, Harry Marshall and Jake Kelly have combined to three 3-point attempts. Printy and Kelly have no attempts at all.

Secondly, and definitely more troubling, is LSU’s ownership of the offensive boards. LSU’s board control was to be expected, but other than the first five minutes of the game, its been worse than expected. LSU has a 25-16 rebounding edge, but a whopping 14 of the Tigers’ 24 points are second-chance points. ISU has no chance if that continues.

Not only that, but LSU has missed their fair share of open shots. If the Tigers start hitting their outside shots, the Sycamores are in deep trouble.

On the other hand, if Kevin McKenna can devise a plan to get ISU’s shooters open, the Sycamores are still well within range of pulling it out.

Aaron Carter has not played. According to ISU people I spoke with at halftime, it was a coach’s decision, no injury involved.

Second half
[] LSU 30-25, 15:13. Reed at the line for ISU. The Sycamores have done a good job finding open shots, sometimes using Brant Leitnaker or Josh Crawford as the screener up top, but rebounds on the defensive end are killing ISU. All three of LSU’s buckets in the second half are second-chance buckets. The tally is now 20 second-chance points for the Tigers. By contrast, ISU has two second-chance points. LSU’s rebounding edge is 31-19.

If ISU can somehow work the boards, they might have a chance. As it is, the Sycamores are still in it.

[] LSU 34-26, 11:20. One key stretch might prove to be the turning point. Down 30-26, ISU had two chances to cut its lead to two. On one possession, Marshall dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds.

On the next, Lathan drove the lane and was called for a charge. However, it appeared that he was close enough to the basket to invoke the new college rule where a player close to the basket gets the benefit of the doubt. That certainly looked like what McKenna was arguing.

LSU scored the next two buckets after that sequence and enjoys its biggest lead.

[] LSU 38-31, 9:15. Marshall just drilled a 3-pointer to give the Sycamores a boost. Koang Doluony is playing well and giving ISU a spark off the bench. He has 4 points and barely missed a 3-pointer a possession before Marshall hit his. Still no Aaron Carter, but given the matchups, I can kind of understand that.

[] LSU 44-31, 7:01. ISU is in trouble now. Another putback bucket got the Tigers going, and once again, it was Warren, who rebounded a Mitchell miss and put LSU up 40-31.

Dennis Harris and Zach Kinsley have since hit buckets as the Sycamores continue to struggle on their end to get open looks. ISU is compounding that problem by forcing some shots, especially Carl Richard, and at times, Kelly too.

LSU has 24 second-chance points and a 41-23 edge on the boards. ISU has four points in the paint. That’s your ball game right there.

[] LSU 44-35, 6:11. A little momentum for the Sycamores. Marshall got a rare ISU putback bucket and drew an offensive foul on Mitchell. Printy drained a 20-footer in response to get the deficit to single-digits.

[] LSU 46-40, 3:56. Mitchell at the line for LSU. The Sycamores aren’t giving in. Lathan got a pair at the line after drawing a foul, and after yet another Warren putback (ALL of his six buckets are on second-chances), Reed drilled a 3-pointer to get the Sycamores within six. If ISU could get a board, they’d have a chance, especially if Mitchell misses his free throw.

[] LSU 50-42, 2:35. ISU put a press on after Lathan made a pair of free throws to get ISU’s deficit to six, but Bo Specner broke it and went to the hoop uncontested to restore LSU’s eight-point advantage. Richard backed off on the play in the paint, he might have been in a position to draw a charge. ISU has come up empty on two possessions since.

[] LSU 56-45, final. Rebounds, rebounds, rebounds. It’s the name of the game for the Sycamores. The final tally was 26 second-chance points for the Tigers.

LSU also deserve credit for its defense and not being forced into too many mistakes by the Sycamores in an ugly shooting game for both teams. LSU shot 34.3 percent, ISU 30.2 percent.

TERRE HAUTE — Hello all. It’s a beautiful day at Memorial Stadium. Temps should be in the 60s for the Sycamores’ season finale.

It’s Senior Day, and while reporters are supposed to be stoic, hard-bitten and unemotional, I can tell you that there are seniors the beat writers miss too.

Daniel Millington, well known to folks around Terre Haute, is one of my favorite ISU athletes of all-time in any sport. He is a total class act who has suffered a lot of losing at ISU with a load of dignity. He’s an honor to ISU athletics and to his family. I’d like to say he’ll be missed, but I have a feeling he won’t be a stranger ’round these parts no matter where his future endeavors take him.

I like Donye McCleskey because he’s honest. When I phrased a question in a way that implied ISU was going to need plenty of good fortune to win an upcoming game, which, lets face it, is often, he always gave me that “what the heck are you talking about?” look and went into a tangent about how ISU would win. Most players do it, McCleskey believed it. His intensity is going to take him far, he’s ISU’s most legitimate NFL prospect.

I haven’t had much call to talk to Elliott Thomas much over the last few years, but I remember interviewing him as a true freshman in 2005. The La Place, La. native was the subject of a Katrina-related story I was doing and he was scared (understandably) for his family. I felt bad for him, but am glad he carved out a nice career with ISU, after suffering several injuries.

There are other seniors I didn’t know as well, but they have their own stories — punter Gabe Mullane overcame cancer during his career — and they all deserve credit for sticking through a ton of thin and little thick during their ISU careers. Good luck to them.

The crowd at Memorial Stadium is paltry. NDSU brought a decent percentage of the “throng”. That’s right. NDSU. As in the team that might be closer to the Arctic Circle than Terre Haute, with a 2-7 record to boot.

They don’t mess around in Fargo, NDSU football is a big deal there, they are the first team to bring a visiting TV station and a mascot — the Bison is pretty cool by the way. It makes NDSU’s struggles this season all the more perplexing, they are set up to be a perennial power.

First quarter
[] Very disappointing start for the ISU defense. NDSU had gains of 12, 6, 13 and a 29-yard touchdown run by Pat Paschall to take an early lead. Paschall is the real deal, he gained 58 of the yards. NDSU 7-0, 12:59.

[] ISU went three-and-out. I don’t like where this game is going.

[] ISU did stop NDSU three-and-out on the next drive. Linebacker Jacolby Washington was on the field during the series, a surprise as Trent Miles had said he was out and Washington had done little but light work during practice this week. Washington did not start the game.

[] Now it’s becoming evident why the Bison have struggled, they are pourous on defense. NDSU’s pass defense, one of the worst in the nation, is making the ISU pass offense, also one of the worst in the nation, look respectable.

ISU sustained a nice 15-play drive, but could only get to the NDSU 21. Braulio Martinez made a 38-yard field goal to put the Sycamores on the board. NDSU 7-3, 1:04.

[] ISU live stats are down permanently for this game. Apparently, some work was done at Memorial Stadium this week and a line was cut. I’ll do the best I can to compensate for ISU’s technical gremlins.

[] Wow. Paschall is one impressive back for NDSU. After NDSU returned the kickoff to midfield, Paschall had a 6-yard run, followed by a 43-yard rocket blast right past ISU’s defenders for a Bison touchdown. Paschall has 98 rushing yards on seven carries at present. He looks every bit like the nation’s leading rusher. NDSU 14-3, :06.

[] End of first quarter. Paschall (98 yards) has more yards than ISU does (63 yards) at present. It appears if ISU is going to have a chance, they will need to win a shootout, something I don’t the Sycamores are capable of doing. NDSU 14-3.

Second quarter
[] Maybe I spoke too soon about the shootout. The Sycamores moved the ball 69 yards on 10 plays in 4 minutes, 31 seconds. Antoine Brown accounted for 40 yards (33 rushing, 7 receiving) and Darrius Gates had a key 28-yard catch on a screen pass to put ISU in the red zone. Ryan Roberts dove over the top from 1 to give ISU its first touchdown. NDSU 14-10, 10:29.

[] It’s only the third time this season that ISU has had double-digit points in the first half (Quincy, Western Illinois were the others).

[] ISU caught a break when NDSU was penalized for an illegal formation on a 17-yard gain that would have put the Bison at the ISU 30. Instead, ISU stuffed NDSU at midfield. A perfect punt by John Prevlitz has ISU pinned at the NDSU 1 to start its drive.

[] ISU went nowhere and Mullane uncorked a 57-yard punt. Unfortunately for ISU, NDSU was set up for a return and D.J. McNorton returned it to the ISU 29. Mullane himself made the touchdown-saving tackle.

[] On a short field, ISU’s defense had no chance against Paschall and the NDSU running game. It took four plays for Paschall to score his third touchdown, a 2-yard scamper. NDSU has 157 rushing yards. The Bison return game has also been crucial, NDSU has 128 return yards overall. NDSU 21-10, 3:51.

[] ISU answers back quickly. Alex Sewall’s kick return got ISU to the NDSU 42. After an 8-yard pass to Brown and a 13-yard Roberts run got ISU to the NDSU 42, Brown went off right tackle, found some daylight, used his blockers perfectly and cut right near the 20 and bolted for the end zone to put ISU on the board again. Maybe ISU can hang in a shootout after all. NDSU 21-17, 2:22.

[] It’s a shootout all right. NDSU travels 67 yards in five plays in just 1:21. NDSU executed a perfect play action pass from QB Jose Mohler to tight end Matt Veldman for a 9-yard touchdown strike. NDSU 28-17, :56.

[] ISU ended the half on a sour note. Brown fumbled at the NDSU 34. ISU recovered it, but Roberts came up hurting after the play. He jogged off the field. Since live stats are down for ISU, I’ll type some up when I get the full sheet. NDSU 28-17, halftime.

[] I don’t have stats yet, I think ISU is making a correction to them. Not in the score, mind you.

Third quarter
[] Didn’t got a stat sheet. Sorry.

[] Tragicomedy at Memorial Stadium. ISU went three-and-out at its own 40. On Mullane’s punt, NDSU’s Jared Hines swatted it Josh Crawford-style all the way back to the ISU 4. Kevin Jackson swooped up the gift and strolled into the end zone for a Bison touchdown.

Meanwhile, the fireworks crew at Memorial Stadium was so geeked up they fired off a few rounds … for NDSU’s touchdown. No other way to put it, it was (loud) massive stadium entertainment fail. NDSU 35-17, 12:23.

[] ISU gained one first down before its series petered out.

[] ISU’s injury-depleted defense isn’t getting the job done. NDSU marched 67 yards on 11 plays with Paschall scoring his fourth touuchdown on a 4-yard run when he beat ISU defenders to the corner on a pitch right. For all intents and purposes, this one’s over. NDSU 42-17, 2:52.

[] ISU can’t get anything going offensively as a drive was stopped at its own 34. NDSU’s fine return game struck again as McNorton returned Mullane’s punt 66 yards to the ISU 3. The second half has been a disaster for the Sycamores.

On the defensive side, Aaron Archie passed the 100-tackle mark for the season, the 30th Sycamore in school history to do so.

[] One play for NDSU, another touchdown. Sam Ojuri plunged in from 3 yards out. The rout is on. NDSU 49-17, :37.

[] End of the third quarter as ISU goes three-and-out. ISU would have to have a white-hot final 15 minutes to make any good impression after the last 15 minutes of play. NDSU 49-17, end of 3Q.

Fourth quarter
[] Another drive, another NDSU touchdown. This time, a 15-yard TD pass from Mohler-to-Matt Voigtlander. Millington took a shot at Mohler after the ball was released and ISU got a 15-yard personal foul tacked on to the kickoff. NDSU 56-17, 9:07.

[] DT Rod Hardy came off the field on ISU’s last drive. He went off without assistance.

[] ISU got to midfield, but were stopped. With five minutes left, that’s enough for me. I’m headed down to what will undoubtedly be an unhappy locker room.

[] Final. NDSU 56-17. There was a bit of controversy and anger from the ISU sideline when NDSU faked a punt with about two minutes left, but NDSU coach Craig Bohl apologized to Trent Miles after the game for it and to the media. Apparently, the punter saw a lane and audibled to a fake on 4th-and-1.

TERRE HAUTE — My apologies for the late start. I had major wireless and computer issues which set me back.

Two bits of news: Dwayne Lathan’s NCAA-mandated suspension was dropped from two games to one game. Also, freshmen Jake Odum, Lucas Eitel and Logan Eitel will be redshirted. It was made known that freshman R.J. Mahurin would redshirt earlier in the week.

More on that at halftime. To the game …

First half
[] ISU 17-14, 11:00. ISU struggled from the field to start, making just 3 of 12 from the field as the Lopers led 11-8. The Sycamores went on a 9-0 run to pull in front by six points, fueled by Rashad Reed, Koang Doluony, Jake Kelly and Jordan Printy — who leads ISU with five points.

[] ISU 24-14, 7:09. ISU imposed its will on the Lopers via defense. The Sycamores have forced seven UNK turnovers and have scored from half of them. The Lopers have also gone cold, they are shooting 33.3 percent.

The rebounding is at 12-12, the Sycamores need to do better on the boards, though UNK does have some size.

Incidentally, since I was fighting my wireless at the time, I couldn’t post the starting lineup. Harry Marshall, Jake Kelly, Jordan Printy, Carl Richard and Brant Leitnaker.

[] ISU 24-16, 6:37. Timeout called by Kevin McKenna. ISU was getting worked on the words and were sloppy with the ball — a turnover off a rebound resulted in a Loper layup.

[] ISU 30-18, 3:52. I like the way ISU is playing defense. There’s been no pressure, the Sycamores have done well in the half-court against a team they should do well against, the Lopers are slower and less athletic.

ISU is struggling a bit on the boards (17-17) and at the line where the Sycamores are shooting just 61 percent.

[] ISU 34-20, halftime. ISU’s defense has been impressive thus far. Offensively? ISU is doing OK, but you can tell the Sycamores are still trying to get a feel for how to play at a higher tempo. It will take time.

[] It was the NCAA that re-visited the Lathan suspension. When it was researched, it was found that the terms of suspension aren’t a game for every unsanctioned game played, it’s a game for every day played in an unsanctioned tournament. In theory, Lathan could have played five games in one day and the suspension would still be one game.

That means Lathan will play against LSU on Monday. I haven’t talked to Lathan yet, but I imagine he’s pretty pumped.

[] As far as redshirting is concerned, I don’t think it’s a major surprise that Odum and the Eitel’s were redshirted. They would not have had much time on the floor, so why not?

Understand one thing about redshirting, however. It is NOT a permanent tag. At any point, McKenna can active a player to play, and once he does, his redshirt season comes to an end and his eligibility clock begins. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s not unprecedented.

It is conceivable the coaching staff will revisit the redshirt situation as warranted.

[] The crowd is pretty decent for a Friday night game against a Division II opponent. Not close to full, by any means, but the crowd has spilled into the upper bowl.

[] Halftime stats: Carl Richard 1-2 FG, 2 RB, 2 PT; Brant Leitnaker 1-2 FG, 2 PT; Harry Marshall 1-4 FG, 2 PT, 2 AST, 2 STL; Jordan Printy 3-6 FG, 2-4 3P, 8 PT; Jake Kelly 2-4 FG, 6 PT; Koang Doluony 0-1 FG, 2 PT; Rashad Reed 1-2 FG, 2 PT, 2 AST; Josh Crawford 1-3 FG, 3 RB, 3 BL, 4 PT; Isiah Martin 2-3, 2 RB, 4 PT; Aaron Carter 0-1 FG, 2 PT.

ISU is shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from 3-point range and 61.5 percent from the line. UNK is shooting 29.6 percent from the field, 18.2 percent from 3-point range and 40 percent (2-for-5) from the line.

Second half
[] ISU 39-24, 18:02. ISU started the half soft, UNK got an uncontested dunk, followed by a breakaway off a turnover to close within 10. The Sycamores then had a spate of weak shots in the paint — four misses in all — until Printy drained a 3-pointer to get ISU back on track.

Crawford stole a UNK pass on the next Loper trip and it was converted by Marshall for much stronger-taken layup.

[] ISU 41-27, 15:52. It’s still ISU’s defense that’s carrying the day. Nothing special. ISU is doing a good job pressuring ballhandlers and denying easy passes away from the ball.

Printy is doing a nice job not only on the offensive end — he has 11 points — but he is also doing a nice job defensively.

[] ISU 52-35, 12:51. The Lopers are hanging in there, but ISU’s defense had kept UNK at bay. To wit, Aaron Carter had a steal and bucket at 14:34 and Marshall just had a steal to give ISU another opportunity.

[] ISU 56-37, 11:35. The Lopers are going to rue their free throw shooting when they bus back to Nebraska. They’ve made just 9 of 15 at the line, and while it probably wouldn’t change the outcome, some makes would have made a difference as far as believing they were still in the game.

Marshall is into double-figure scoring now with 10 points.

[] ISU 69-45, 7:24. ISU put Kelly at point for a bit. The thing to remember about Kelly is he is still learning ISU’s system, in essence, he is kind of like a freshman in terms of figuring out where to be on the floor, etc. Once he learns, ISU will be better.

One thing Jake Kelly does extremely well is draw fouls. UNK center Josiah Parker’s has three fouls, Kelly has drawn them all. His crossover, shake-and-bake dribble is also just fine, he just used it to fire off a 15-foot jumper on ISU’s last possession.

[] ISU 80-52, 3:41. Five Sycamores are in double figures, which is music to the ears of McKenna, and the players for that matter. ISU is 22 of 30 at the line. The defense hasn’t dropped off, which be even sweeter music for the coaching staff.

[] Marshall came up wincing in pain after he missed a fall-away jumper at the 2:37 mark. He was feeling his right calf muscle. It appeared to be a cramp, but we’ll check after the game.

[] ISU 88-58, final. ISU dominates in the second half on their way to an expected win. On to LSU. Kelly led the way with 16 points. Reed had 14.