Two layups by Matt Renn and four consecutive free throws by Kelyn Block in the final minute shut the door on a late rally by Illinois State in a 74-68 victory in Missouri Valley Conference mens basketball action Saturday in Terre Haute.
Indiana State used five straight points by Renn off consecutive turnovers by the Redbirds to ignite an 11-0 run two minutes into the second half. Although Illinois State erased a nine-point Sycamore lead to grab a one-point lead late in the game, the Birds could not overcome the Sycamores down the stretch.
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak by Illinois State, 16-5, 8-4, and drops the Birds from atop the MVC standings into fourth place behind Creighton and Bradley, which claimed conference victories earlier in the day.
With the victory, Indiana State, 17-8, 9-4, gained the season sweep over the Redbirds and moved into a second-place tie with Bradley.
Trailing by five points with a little over four minutes left in the game, Shawn Jeppson abused Marcus Howard on three consecutive layups for six unanswered points to give the Redbirds a brief 62-61 lead.
The Sycamores regained momentum on a long-range three-pointer by Michael Menser and a Renn layup sandwiched around a Tarise Bryson layup to grab a 67-64 lead with two minutes to play.
Renn and Bryson exchanged layups down the stretch, but the Birds could not get the Sycamore lead under three points as they came up empty on three-straight possessions. Renn added another layup and Block connected on four consecutive free throws to seal the game.
Although both teams connected on 50 percent of their field goals, the Sycamores won the game beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 7-of-12 three-pointers while the Birds hit only 3-of-14.
Illinois State was led by Bryson with 24 points and Jeppson with 17. Shedrick Ford also turned in a strong performance with six points and nine rebounds and Cedric Knight provided a spark off the bench with six points and six boards.
Renn tallied a team-high 20 points to lead all five Indiana State starters in double-digit scoring. Djibril Kante scored 14 and Menser and Block added 13 while Howard chipped in with 12.
Illinois State returns to action at Evansville on February 12.
