By Mark Bennett
It was almost like a bad dream to Djibril
Kante ... a four-game, season-opening losing streak on the heels
of back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, complete with ice-cold
shooting, sporadic defense and general inconsistency.
And then came Saturday night's game against
IUPUI.
Kante and the Indiana State Sycamores hit
a respectable 40 percent of their field goal attempts, outrebounded
the Jaguars 43-31 and sank 16 of 19 free throws. And most importantly,
ISU won the game 66-56.
Now the Sycamores (1-4) have a chance to take
a two-game winning streak into this Saturday's Missouri Valley
Conference opener at Drake, if they can beat Murray State (4-1)
in a 7:05 p.m. game tonight in Hulman Center.
"It's real important. Conference [play]
is going to be hard, and we need to have a winning motor going
into the conference," Kante said. "If we're winning
going into it, it'll just help. But going in losing, gets everybody
down.
"Let's not even think about that."
Still, beating the Racers could be a tough
task. In Murray State's last outing, the Racers erased a 19-point
second-half deficit to beat Alabama-Birmingham. Overcoming deficits
is something the Sycamores have struggled to do this season.
Saturday's victory over IUPUI may help cure
that problem. ISU trailed from the outset until senior guard
Kelyn Block delivered a three-point play and a layup in the final
46 seconds of the first half. It was part of an 18-2 Sycamore
run that kept ISU ahead for good.
"We're just starting to get that kind
of confidence to where, if we get down we have confidence in
ourselves to fight back and pull together," Block said.
"That's what Coach [Royce Waltman] has been stressing to
us in practice."
There have been other topics covered in practices
lately too. Waltman and his staff have been working on ways to
get the Sycamores' traditional lane slashers, such as Block and
sophomore guard Marcus Howard, more chances to drive for baskets.
That happened against IUPUI. Block scored 16 points and Howard
added 11. That style also forced the Jaguars to commit 21 personal
fouls, sending ISU to the line for a season-high 19 free throw
attempts. The Sycamores hit 16 of those foul shots.
Before Saturday, their busiest free throw
night was a 10-for-12 night against Eastern Illinois.
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| Tribune-Star/Joseph
C. Garza |
| Hanging: Indiana State University
guard Kelyn Block shoots over IUPUI's Charles Price during the
Sycamore's 66-56 win Saturday at Hulman Center. Block led the
Sycamores with 16 points. |
"If you look at box scores, almost without
fail the team that shoots the most free throws wins, and we just
haven't got there. Kelyn had only shot two free throws to this
point in the season," Waltman said of the Sycamores' first
four games. "We just drove the ball better today."
Block hit 5 of 5 free throws, and Howard sank
all six of his foul shots.
ISU also intensified its pursuit of rebounds.
Sophomore Matt Berry grabbed a career-high 13, and Kante added
nine.
"Coach has just stressed to me all season
long to focus on the offensive boards as well as the defensive
boards," Berry said.
Saturday's outcome gave the Sycamores hope
it could happen again tonight against the Racers. "It gives
us more confidence as a team," Berry said. "And we've
got to build on that for Monday."
They realize they're preparing for the crucial
MVC portion of their schedule, which begins at Drake. But that
game is only a afterthought at present.
"We've got to worry about Murray State
right now," Block said. "We can't look ahead to Drake.
We've only won one game."
A victory tonight will make the next few practices
more effective, Waltman said.
"Certainly, it'll be probably easier
to get something out of that week of preparation if you've played
well your last game," Waltman said. "So hopefully you
can carry this over."
That's Kante's intention, though he's not
ready to predict how ISU will fare in the MVC.
"I don't know right now," Kante
said. "There's potential. But potential's always an ugly
thing, because you never know. I can't say, because I never expected
an 0-4 start. So I'm really clueless right now. I'm hoping we
just work and keep getting better every day."
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