Andrew Mitchell scored 12 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as Kent State defeated Illinois State 61-48 at Redbird Arena. Shawn Jeppson led the Birds in scoring with 12 points.
The Redbirds, 4-7, managed only 18 points in the first half, the total tied the record for least points in a half for Illinois State at Redbird Arena. The other 18-point half performance occurred on January 23, 1993 against Bradley, when Illinois State was outscored 24-18 in the first frame. The Birds were unable to generate any points in the final 6:38 of the first half.
Kent State, 5-4, had two other players find double figures with Trevor Huffman scoring 13 and Demetric Shaw chipping in 10. The Golden Flashes were led on the boards by Antonio Gates with 11.
Baboucarr Bojang was the only other Redbird to reach double figures with 11 points. Andy Strandmark had another great performance off the bench for Illinois State leading the team in rebounding with seven.
The Redbirds host Creighton to open their conference schedule on January 2, 2002.
