Baboucarr Bojang notched his seventh double-double of the season, posting 23 points and 15 rebounds, a career high, to lead Illinois State to its fourth straight victory, a 70-55 decision over Northern Iowa in Missouri Valley Conference basketball action at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State improved to 10-11, 6-4 in the Valley while Northern Iowa, 11-8, 6-4, recorded its second loss in three games.
Also leading the Birds past the Panthers was Shedrick Ford, who tipped in 13 points and seven rebounds and Gregg Alexander along with Shawn Jeppson who had 11 apiece.
The Redbirds jumped on the board early, taking a 20-15 advantage with nine minutes left in the first half, led by a 12-point effort by Bojang who finished the first half a perfect 6-of-6.
A layup by Greene and three-pointer by Alexander gave ISU a 13-point lead with five minutes to play before intermission. Alexander hit his third trey of the half at the 3:40, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 through 17 minutes of the game and, combined, Alexander and Bojang were 10-of-10.
Two free throws by Chris Foster after a foul on Jeppson followed by a fast-break layup by Foster pulled the Panthers to within nine with two minutes remaining before Ford hit his first jumper of the game to lift ISU up by ten going into halftime.
A quick jumper by Ford gave the Birds a 12-point cushion to start the second. With the lead still in double digits at 12, a trey by Robbie Sieverding with 12 minutes shortened the lead to nine before Andy Strandmark hit his first jumper of the contest to boost ISU back up by 11.
Still up by 11 with five minutes remaining, a foul on Andy Woodley of UNI put Jeppson on the line, who connected on both free throw attempts as ISU led 60-47.
The Panthers would not back down, however, hitting key shots in the final three minutes and closing the lead to as few as nine. But Illinois State pulled away at the end.
The Redbirds continue Valley play on Saturday when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to face Southwest Missouri State at 3:05 p.m.
