Trey Guidrys two free throws with four seconds left gave the Illinois State basketball team a comfortable four point lead late in the game, resulting in a 62-61 win over SMS Thursday night at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State won its first Missouri Valley Conference game of the season and extended its overall record to 9-3, 1-1 in the Valley.
The Redbirds opened with a quick 6-2 lead thanks to three straight lay-ups, one by Nedu Onyeuku and two by Lorenzo Gordon (17 points).
Neil Planks three-pointer with six seconds left in the first half gave Illinois State a 34-27 lead at intermission thanks to 11 SMS turnovers and a Redbird shooting percentage of 52 percent from the field. The Redbirds finished the game shooting 48 percent. Gordon led the way with 14 first half points and three rebounds.
The Bears tied the game 36-36 on a three-pointer by Deke Thompson (15 points) with 16 minutes left. Illinois State held onto the lead however, with a jumper by Plank and lay-up by Trey Guidry (15 points), making the score 40-36.
With the Redbirds leading 48-44, Plank ignited the home crowd with a three-pointer at the 4:50 mark in the second half, giving his team a 51-44 lead. Vince Greene extended that lead on a three of his own, with the basket coming after Greene recorded only the second block of his career, this one coming against Thompson.
Thompson cut the Illinois State lead to two at 57-55 after his steal led to a fast-break lay-up. After Guidry, Greg Dilligard (8 points) and Gordon each split a pair of free throws to make the score 60-55, Tyler Chaney hit a three with six seconds remaining, cutting the lead to 60-58. But Guidry calmly sank his two free throws to extend the lead up to four. Chaney knocked down another three as time ran out for the games final score.
Illinois State returns to action Monday, Jan. 3, for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off against Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa and will return home on Wed., Jan. 5 to face Indiana State.
Game Notes:
Vince Greene recorded his first block since Feb. 2, 2002, also against SMS, in the second half on Deke Thompson, which led to a fast break jumper. The block was only the second of his career.
The Redbirds extended their streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 154 straight games.
