Game recap: Indiana State loses a heartbreaker to Seton Hall in NIT championship

The NIT championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse pits Indiana State against Seton Hall.

Indiana State (32-6) continues to play like its reminding the NCAA Tournament selection committee that it should have been in March Madness. The Sycamores beat Utah 100-90 on Tuesday night, and they are one of the nation's most efficient teams, averaging 84.9 points per game (6th), making 62.6% of their 2-point shots (1st), 50.5% from the field (3rd) and 80% of their free throws (3rd).

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Seton Hall (24-12) finished fourth in Big East play and have beaten St. Joseph's, North Texas, UNLV and Georgia on the way to the title game. Seton Hall, which beat Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse, is 2-0 there this season. Seton Hall is strong at the free-throw line (77.9%, 16th) and attack the offensive glass, grabbing 34.2% of their misses (18th).

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Doyel:ISU continues bittersweet march from NCAA Tourney snub to NIT championship game

Final: Seton Hall 79, Indiana State 77

The Sycamores miss 3 shots in the closing seconds and lose a heartbreaker.

Isaiah Swope scores 19 points, including 3-of-6 3-point shooting. Julian Larry scores 18, including 4-of-6 3s, with 6 assists. Robbie Avila has 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Jayson Kent has 13 points and 7 rebounds. Conwell has 12 rebounds. 

The Sycamores shoot 46.7% from the field and hit 12-of-32 3-pointers. They have 22 assists on 28 made baskets. They own a 6-rebound advantage.

Seton Hall's Kadary Richmond has 21 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Al-Amir Dawes has 24 points and 4 steals. Dre Davis has 18 points.

8.1 seconds 2H: Seton Hall 79, Indiana State 77

16 seconds: Dre Davis scores at the basket.

40 seconds: Indiana State misses two shots. 

57.9 seconds 2H: Indiana State 77, Seton Hall 77

 Al-Amir Dawes hits a contested 3 from the top to tie it at 77 and make it a Seton Hall a 7-point run.

2:54 left 2H: Indiana State 77, Seton Hall 70

Ryan Conwell's first basket, a right wing 3 with 3:40 to go, puts ISU up 74-70. Isaiah Swope follows with a long left wing 3. Timeout, Seton Hall.

Robbie Avila's nifty pass to Jayson Kent gives ISU a layup to take a 71-70 lead.

Kadary Richmond gets a nifty and-1 with a backdoor pass from Elijah Hutchins-Everett. Seton Hall leads 70-69 with 5:14 to go.

7:25 left 2H: Indiana State 65, Seton Hall 65

 Al-Amir Dawes' 3 ties it at 65 and stops Indiana State's 8-point run. Dawes has 17 points and 4 steals.

8:33 left 2H: Indiana State 63, Seton Hall 62

Julian Larry's 3 from the right corner with 8:38 to go on an assist from Xavier Bledson thrills the ISU crowd. The Sycamores have 20 assists on 23 made baskets. Timeout, Seton Hall.

Bledson's and-1 cuts the ISU deficit to 62-60.

10:59 left 2H: Seton Hall 58, Indiana State 55

Kadary Richmond gets an and-1 as Seton Hall regains the lead. He has 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

Isaiah Swope drives and ties it at 53 at the 13-minute mark. He's up to 14 points.

13:24 left 2H: Seton Hall 53, Indiana State 51

Robbie Avila hits a 3 on an assist from Ryan Conwell to narrow the deficit to 53-51.

ISU gets two layups shortly after the timeout. Conwell has missed 3 shots in the second half and has not scored. He had 27 in the semifinals.

16:45 left 2H: Seton Hall 51, Indiana State 42

Dre Davis' 3 from the left wing gives him 7 in the half, 14 for the game, and puts Seton Hall ahead 49-42. Al-Amir Dawes (also 14 points) adds a layup. Timeout, ISU.

Isaiah Swope's 3 from the left wing with 18 minutes left marks ISU's first scoring of the second half. 

Halftime: Indiana State 39, Seton Hall 39

The Sycamores surge in the closing segment with an 11-point run to tie it.

Julian Larry has 13 points (3-of-3 3-pointers), Jayson Kent 9 and Robbie Avila 8 (and 1,000 career points) for Indiana State, which is shooting well (52% overall, 7-of-15 3-pointers) but has 10 turnovers.

Al-Amir Dawes has 12 points and 2 steals, but also 3 fouls, for Seton Hall. Kadary Richmond has 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Dre Davis (Lawrence Central High School alum) 7 points. The Pirates have just 4 turnovers.

3:46 left 1H: Seton Hall 36, Indiana State 26

ISU has just 1 field goal and 2 free throws since the 10-minute mark. The Sycamores are at a free throw disadvantage (3-of-3 vs. Seton Hall's 11-of-13) and have trouble running their offense (10 turnovers).

7:40 left 1H: Seton Hall 27, Indiana State 22

Al-Amir Dawes has 10 points for Seton Hall, which is on a 7-point run. Jayson Kent has 7 for ISU.

ISU has 9 turnovers, many on passes toward the basket that aren't connecting with cutters. Seton Hall's Jaden Bediako and Dawes have 2 fouls each.

Xavier Bledson's 3 with 9:48 left puts ISU up 22-20. Jaquan Sanders' layup puts Seton Hall up 20-19. 

11:39 left 1H: Indiana State 18, Seton Hall 16

Jake Wolfe has a chance to complete an and-1 coming out of the timeout. ISU has scored 8 straight points just after Seton Hall was up 16-10 after a 7-0 run.

15:31 left 1H: Seton Hall 9, Indiana State 8

ISU has 2 3-pointers but also 3 turnovers. Kadary Richmond has 5 points for Seton Hall.

Isaiah Swope's 3 gives ISU a 5-4 lead. Seton Hall gets on the board first but Jayson Kent hits a layup for ISU on the next possession.

NIT start time

7 p.m. ET Thursday, April 4, 2024, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

What channel is the NIT on?

TV: ESPN.

Streaming: SiriusXM Channel 84.

Indiana State key players

Robbie Avila (17.5 points, 39.6% 3-pointers, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists); Ryan Conwell (16.9 points, 41.7% 3s, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals); Isaiah Swope (15.8 points, 1.3 steals); Jayson Kent (13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds); Julian Larry (10.8 points, 44.7% 3s, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals).

Seton Hall key players

Kadary Richmond (15.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals); Dre Davis (14.9 points, 6.0 rebounds); Al-Amir Dawes (14.7 points, 38.4% 3s, 1.1 steals), Dylan Addae-Wusu (8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals); Jaden Bediako (8.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocked shots).

Indiana State vs. Seton Hall betting odds

via BetMGM

Favorite: Indiana State by 3.5 points

Over/under: 158.5 total points

Moneyline: ISU -165, Seton Hall +140