Baboucarr Bojang scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half as Illinois State defeated Indiana State, 68-56, Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference action at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State, 6-10 (2-3 MVC), had four players score in double figures. Shedrick Ford and Shawn Jeppson had 11 points apiece, while Randy Rice chipped in 10 points for the Birds. Bojang also posted his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds. Andy Strandmark also came of the bench to chip in eight points and seven boards.
The Sycamores were led in scoring by Terence Avery with 22 points. Marcus Howard was the only other player for Indiana State to score in double digits with 11 points. Djibril Kante led the Sycamores on the boards with seven rebounds.
Indiana State, 3-11 (1-4 MVC) had the lead for the majority of the first half until Jeppson made a lay-up with 1:50 remaining that gave the Redbirds a 27-26 advantage. A jumper by Howard gave the Sycamores the lead again 28-27, but Bojang converted on a three-point play and scored on a tip-in at the buzzer to give the Birds a 33-30 lead heading into halftime.
The second half opened with two quick Sycamore baskets by Djibril Kante and Avery, but Rice sparked a 18-5 run over the next seven minutes to give Illinois State a 12 point lead, 51-39. The Redbirds led by as many as 17 points in the second half.
Illinois State heads to Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday, January 16, to play another Valley game against Creighton.
