Utah State used a 11-2 run after Illinois State's Marcus Arnold drew his fourth foul at the 16:08 mark of the second half to claim an 89-84 non-conference victory at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Saturday night.
The loss dropped the 'Birds record to 1-2 on the season, while the Aggies improved to 3-0. Utah State now owns a 71-7 in the last six years on its home court.
The Redbirds shocked the home crowd by jumping out to a 17-6 lead as Neil Plank scored seven of the Redbird tallies. Utah State closed the gap to two at 22-20, but Plank added two more baskets to push the lead back up to six, 26-20, with 6:27 left in the first half.
The Aggies tied the game at 28-28 on a Spencer Nelson, but a Trey Guidry 3-pointer gave the 'Birds the halftime lead, 31-30 after Utah State's Jason Williams sank a pair of free throws.
Nelson's basket 15 seconds into the second half stole the ISU lead, one the 'Birds would never get back. Chris Burras scored a pair of foul shots with 19:18 on the clock to force a 33-33 tie, but that was the closest ISU would get.
A couple minutes later, Arnold was whistled for his fourth foul forcing head coach Porter Moser to his bench. Mike Ahmad scored four of Utah State's points during its 11-2 run. The 'Birds got within six points three times, but that was as close as they would get until Guidry's three at the buzzer for the 89-84 final.
Plank led all scorers with 21 points, including 12 in the first half. Guidry tossed in 18 points off the bench, while Arnold finished with 14 points in just 23 minutes of play. Vince Greene and Burras each added 12 points off the bench.
Mark Brown led the Aggies with 20 points and 13 assists. Cardell Butler scored 14 and Nelson added 13. Williams and Nate Harris each tossed in 11 points.
The Redbirds return to action on Tuesday when Illinois State meets Bellarmine in non-league action at Redbird Arena.
