PHILADELPHIA – Aiming to extend its two-game winning streak, the Illinois State men's basketball team embarks on its final non-conference road game of the regular season when the Redbirds face Atlantic 10 foe Saint Joseph's Saturday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. CT in Hagan Arena. ISU (5-6) is coming off of a midweek victory at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 16), while the Hawks (7-2) are returning to action following a six-day break for final exams. SJU last beat Temple in overtime (Dec. 13).
ILLINOIS STATE AT SAINT JOSEPH'S • SATURDAY, DEC. 19, 2015 • 1 P.M. CT
THE SERIES:
Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Illinois State and Saint Joseph's. The Redbirds are 13-18 versus current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, and head coach Dan Muller is 2-2, with two victories over Dayton and two losses to VCU. Muller is 1-0 in Philadelphia after leading ISU to a win at Drexel (Nov. 15, 2012).
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (63-50). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
Saint Joseph's: Phil Martelli (Widener, 1976) is in his 21st season as the head coach at Saint Joseph's (382-267). Martelli has taken SJU to the postseason in 10 of the last 15 years, and 12 times in his 20 seasons at SJU.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
Picked to finish fourth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and six of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 22-13 overall, advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ... tied for third place in the 2014-15 MVC standings (11-7) ... played the top-two nationally-ranked teams in a one-week span ... aiming to establish a season-best three-game winning streak.
ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S:
Picked to finish seventh (out of 14 teams) in the Atlantic 10 Conference ... return four of five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 13-18 overall and 7-11 in the A-10 to finish in 10th place ... junior forward DeAndre' Bembry is a 2015-16 Preseason A-10 All-Conference First Team selection after leading the conference in scoring last season (17.7 ppg) ... Bembry is averaging 15.9 points per game this season.
LAST TIME OUT (W, 72-60 - Dec. 16, 2015 AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO)
After trailing by as many as eight points at the 14:20 mark in the second half, the Illinois State men's basketball team manufactured a 27-4 run en route to a come-from-behind 72-60 victory over Illinois-Chicago at UIC Pavilion. The Redbirds (5-6) were led in scoring by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell's 18 points. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, Chicago-suburban Maywood, Illinois, native Paris Lee totaled 17 points, including a 5-for-6 effort at the free throw line. MiKyle McIntosh rounded out three Redbirds in double figures with 14 points plus 11 rebounds to record ISU's first double-double of the season. Defensively, Illinois State teamed up for a season-high eight blocks while also recording eight steals. The Redbirds shot 39.7 percent from the field and held Illinois-Chicago to 29.3 percent shooting, a season-low allowed by ISU. Dominique Matthews led the Flames (1-7) with 20 points.
VERSUS THE A-10
Illinois State holds a 13-18 (.419) record against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, and head coach Dan Muller is 2-2 versus the A-10: W, 74-73, at Dayton (Dec. 19, 2012); L, 96-58, at No. 14 VCU (Nov. 8, 2013); W, 81-75 vs. No. 25 Dayton (Dec. 7, 2013); L, 66-62 vs. VCU (Dec. 2, 2014). Muller and the Redbirds' home victory over No. 25 Dayton was ISU's first and only win against a Top-25 team on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU assistant coach Jeremy Ballard was previously an assistant at VCU.
CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
Although Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Illinois State and Saint Joseph's, it will be ISU's second time playing in Philadelphia. In Dan Muller's first road game as a head coach, he guided ISU to an 86-84 overtime victory over Drexel (Nov. 15, 2012) at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.
ROAD TESTED
Saturday's 800-mile trip to Philadelphia is Illinois State's final non-conference road game of the season. ISU is finishing its pre-conference road schedule more than 2,700 miles away from where the season began at San Diego State in San Diego, California (Nov. 13). In total, the Redbirds traveled more than 9,100 miles (roundtrip) within a five-week span stretching across two countries and four states (San Diego, California; Cancun, Mexico; Lexington, Kentucky; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
DOUBLE THE FUN
With 14 points and 11 rebounds in Illinois State's win at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 16), sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh recorded his first-career double-double, which was also ISU's first double-double since DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Missouri State (Jan. 28, 2015). Not only was McIntosh's double-double ISU's first of the season, but his 11 rebounds marked the Redbirds' first double-digit rebounding effort of the year and the most since Deontae Hawkins collected 11 boards at Northern Iowa (Feb. 11, 2015).
COMEBACK KIDS
In three of Illinois State's five victories, the Redbirds have overcome second-half deficits of eight points or more: Nov. 16 vs. Morehead State (down by nine with 14:54 remaining); Dec. 13 vs. Murray State (down by eight with 19:18 remaining; Dec. 16 at Illinois-Chicago (down by eight with 14:20 remaining). In all three contests, ISU has come back to take the lead with more than five minutes remaining. The Redbirds are 5-0 when leading with five minutes to play and 0-6 when trailing at the five-minute mark.
TRENDING
Now 11 games into the season, some trends are emerging: ISU is 5-0 when allowing less than 70 points; ISU is 3-0 when scoring 70 or more points; ISU is 4-0 when its starters outscore the opponent's starters and 1-6 when ISU's starters do not outscore the opponent's; ISU is 3-0 when it outrebounds its opponent.
GO-TO GUY
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is Illinois State's top offensive threat in 2015-16, reaching double figures in all 11 of ISU's games this year, and dating back to last season, 13-straight and 18 of the last 19. Akoon-Purcell has also scored 20 or more points three times this season and six times throughout his career since transferring to Illinois State as a junior. The Orlando, Florida, native is averaging a team-best 16.4 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring seven times this season.
PROTECTING THE ROCK
Illinois State has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in two-straight games, resulting in victories both times. ISU recorded a season-low eight turnovers in the win at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 16), while dishing 14 assists.
HAWKINS BAROMETER
When sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins plays well, so too do the Redbirds this season. Hawkins recorded season highs in points (16) and rebounds (nine) in ISU's victory over Murray State (Dec. 13). The Redbirds – now 5-6 overall – are 4-1 when Hawkins scores in double-digits, with the lone loss to No. 2 Maryland (Nov. 24). ISU is 5-2 when Hawkins nets eight or more points.
LEE-DING IN STEALING
After 11 games, junior point guard Paris Lee ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 1.7 steals averaged per contest. With three steals at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 16), Lee increased his career-total to 148 steals and is in sole possession of fifth place on the career steals list, ahead of Jamar Smiley (ISU's point guard when head coach Dan Muller played). In 2014-15, Lee led the MVC and ranked No. 9 nationally in steals (2.4 per game), establishing ISU's single-season steals record (82). After 11 games, Lee has 19 steals.
SETTING THE STARTERS
Through Illinois State's first 11 games, the Redbirds have featured five different starting lineups. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, Deontae Hawkins and Paris Lee have started every game, while MiKyle McIntosh has started all but one. He missed the Nov. 27 contest against Quincy with a concussion. Meanwhile, Nick Banyard (two games), Quintin Brewer (the most-recent three games), Roland Griffin (one game), Justin McCloud (one game) and Tony Wills (five games) have also appeared in the starting lineup this season.
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