For the second-straight game sophomore Trey Guidry came off the Illinois State bench to score 15 points. This time it resulted in a victory as the Redbirds cruised past Indiana State 80-50 for their first Missouri Valley Conference road victory of the season.
With the win, the Redbirds improved to 7-19 overall and 5-12 in the league, while Indiana State fell to 6-22 and 2-15, respectively.
The Redbirds took command of the game at the end of the first half thanks to a 20-2 run. The Birds shot 7-for-11 over the last seven minutes of the first frame and led 37-22, their largest halftime lead of the season. Guidry capped off the run with two treys right before the break for six of his eight first half points.
The first half run erased a 20-17 Sycamore lead, their last of the game.
At the start of the second half, Indiana State closed the 15-point lead to nine at 43-34, but never got any closer as the Birds responded with a 20-2 run to push the lead to 27 points. Sophomore Kenneth Hill added some excitement as the walk-on went 3-for-3 on three-pointers in the closing minutes.
The Illinois State underclassmen totaled 66 of the Redbirds 80 points. Vince Greene added 13 points and Gregg Alexander tossed in 10 to round out Illinois States double-digit scorers. The Birds shot 53.7 percent from the field, while holding Indiana State to 30.8 percent. Marcus Howard and David Moss led the Sycamores with nine points apiece.
The Redbirds return to action on Monday night when Illinois State hosts Southern Illinois for its third game in six days. Tip-off is slated for 6:07 p.m.
