EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Khristian Smith scored 27 points, on 11 of 13 shooting, to lead Indiana State over Evansville 81-62 on Saturday.

Dawon Cummings added 22 for Indiana State (11-3, 2-0 Missouri Valley), while Jake Odum had 14 and Justin Gant chipped in with 10. The Sycamores shot 52 percent from the field, including 8 of 17 from beyond the arc.

Evansville (7-8, 0-2) was led by D.J. Balentine with 23 points. Jaylon Moore added 14 for the Purple Aces.

Evansville led until Cummings' 3-pointer gave Indiana State its first lead at 24-22 with 6:31 left in the first half. The teams traded the lead six times before Indiana State pulled ahead by four at 35-31 on a pair of free throws by Cummings and a Smith jumper right before half.

The Sycamores slowly pulled away from Evansville in the second half, outscoring the Aces by 15 after the break.