Despite a fighting effort the Illinois State mens basketball team fell to Wichita State 76-62 in a Thursday evening Missouri Valley Conference contest at Redbird Arena.
Lorenzo Gordon led all scorers with 20 points, one of only two Redbirds to finish in doubles figures as Vince Greene contributed 11.
Both teams had a hard time scoring in the first 10 minutes of the game, as defensive stops were rampant on both ends of the court. Wichita State (18-3, 11-2) drained the first basket of the game, before a Greg Dilligard slam dunk on an assist by Trey Guidry put the Birds on the board and tied the game for the only time in the first half, 2-2.
The Shockers then took control, leading by as many as 10 at the 10:55 mark of the first after a Rob Kampman three-pointer gave Wichita State an 18-8 edge. Gordon sparked a Redbird rally with a three-point play, which was followed by a Shocker turnover, and then a six-foot jumper off the glass by Guidry to pull Illinois State (16-7, 8-5) to 20-16 with 2:54 remaining.
Wichita State went on a five-point run in 2:00 to make the score 25-17, before the Birds shut them down defensively. Field goals by Dilligard (8 points) and Greene, followed by a Gregg Alexander (nine points) three-pointer brought the Birds within one point with 1:55 remaining in the first half. A missed shot by Jamar Howard (14 points) gave Illinois State the ball with 52 seconds on the clock, which led to a Lorenzo Gordon jumper, giving the Birds a 26-25 lead they would carry into halftime.
Paul Miller ended the Wichita State scoring drought from the first half at 4:22 with a jumper at the 19:32 mark of the second half to make the score 28-27. The Shockers proceeded to take the reins of the game, mounting a 14-0 run to dominate the second half and seal the win.
The Birds return to Redbird Arena Saturday for the their third of four home games in a 4:05 p.m. contest against Northern Iowa.
Game Notes:
Khalif Ford made his return at the 8:40 mark of the first half after being out for seven games due to a hand injury.
A technical foul was called against the WSU bench at 6:08 mark of first half. Vince Greene hit 1-2 from the line.
With four assists on the night, Vince Greene passed Randy Blair to move into the No. 7 position on the career assist list.
