Illinois State sophomore Marcus Arnold tossed in a team-high 17 points, but it wasn't enough as SMS forced 19 Redbird turnovers in a 69-57 Missouri Valley Conference win Saturday night at the Hammons Student Center.
With the loss Illinois State falls to 6-14 overall and 2-10 in the conference, while the Bears improved to 15-8 and 7-5 respectively.
The 'Birds jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the first half, thanks to a pair of baskets by Arnold. But a 7-0 SMS run gave the Bears a lead that they would never relinquish.
SMS pushed the first half to nine points and led by as much as 16 points in the second half. The 'Birds were able to close the gap to nine, 46-37, at the 10:44 mark, but never got any closer.
Trey Guidry chipped in 11 points off the bench and Vince Greene tossed in 10 to join Arnold in double figures.
Blake Ahearn led the way for SMS with 17 points, while Tyler Chaney added 12 and Merrill Andrews tossed in 10.
The Redbirds return to action on Wednesday when Illinois State travels to Evansville for a 7:05 p.m. tip.
