VanVleet’s career-high 29 leads Wichita State past Indiana State (+videos)

Recovering from a strained hamstring takes time for the brain, as well as the muscles that produce much of the body’s speed and flexibility.

The muscles may be ready to go. The brain has to agree.

On Sunday, Fred VanVleet’s mind and body worked together in a way that seemed to signal a bump in quickness and leaping ability. He scored a career-high 29 points in an 82-62 win over Indiana State and his left hamstring allowed him to execute many of the movements that make him such a special player.

"It’s a step in the right direction," he said. "I’m not saying ‘I’m back,’ I’m not trying to proclaim anything, but as long I’m making progress I’m excited about that."

VanVleet made 9 of 15 shots, all eight of his foul shots and handed out five assists without a turnover. As usual, he controlled much of the game by pushing the basketball for easy baskets when appropriate and steadily running the offense at other times. Most important, his old quickness and ability to score at the rim over bigger players seemed more present.

The Shockers finished with five turnovers and outscored Indiana State by 10 points at the line and VanVleet played a major role in both those game-deciding stats.

"Best pure point guard in the country," Indiana State coach Greg Lansing said. "We tried to give him a lot of attention."

Wichita State won its 40^th straight home game, the nation’s second-longest streak behind Arizona’s 49-game streak. WSU (12-5, 6-0 Missouri Valley Conference) defeated the Sycamores (10-8, 4-2) for the seventh straight time to remain in first place in the MVC.

WSU’s Ron Baker added 16 points and seven rebounds. Indiana State sophomore guard Brenton Scott scored 24, 16 in the first half.

The Shockers bottled up Indiana State’s fast-break chances and forced 16 turnovers, leading to 18 points. They made 13 of 28 shots in the second half while holding Indiana State to 8-of-29 shooting to turn a one-point halftime edge into a lead that never slipped below 12 in the final 11 minutes.

The Shockers started the second half with a 6-2 run that forced Indiana State to call a timeout, trailing 41-32. WSU’s 10-0 run pushed the lead to 51-37, capped by Zach Brown’s three-point play. Lansing didn’t like his team’s shot selection early in the half, or the way it responded to WSU’s bursts.

"The best team in the league showed a good team just what a championship-caliber does on both ends of the floor," he said. "We can learn some lessons from them. We were not difficult to play against in the second half. That might have been the easiest 20 minutes they’ve had."

VanVleet had much to do with that. In recent practices he’s recognized the need to push himself more so that he can get in better condition.

"I’ve been babying my leg a little bit, just because I’ve got re-injury in the back of my head," he said. "So I create a lot of bad habits in practice and games where I’m not going full out, as hard as I could. My conditioning is not where it would usually be mid-season."

VanVleet scored 18 points in the first half. He passed his previous high of 27 points with a layup to make it 68-49 with 6:41 to play. Two minutes later, he exited to a standing ovation.

"He looked like the old Fred a little bit," WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. "He looked pretty explosive to me. He was able to weave his way through traffic a couple times and he was actually finishing."

VanVleet carried the Shockers with 18 first-half points. He made two three-pointers and all six of his foul shots. The Sycamores failed to keep him out of the lane and VanVleet feasted on layups and foul shots. He made 5 of 10 shots and the rest of the team went 6 for 21 from the field.

Scott scored 16 first-half points, making all four of his threes. He committed four turnovers and his team’s 10 played a large role in keeping WSU in the lead.

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "VanVleet’s career-high 29 leads Wichita State past Indiana State (+videos)."