Nov. 1, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Two newcomers made quite an opening impression for the Illinois State men's basketball team, as freshman guard Osiris Eldridge led the team with 13 points, on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, and junior-transfer Anthony Slack recorded a double-double-with 10 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds in ISU's 83-58 victory over Division II Missouri-St. Louis in exhibition action Wednesday night at Redbird Arena.
Eldridge and Slack were two of four Redbirds to score in double figures as junior center Levi Dyer and senior forward Greg Dilligard each chipped in 10 points a piece. However, only one `Bird was held scoreless as 12 of ISU's players recorded a point.
The `Birds also had a fantastic shooting night, connecting on 57 percent of their shots, including 9-of-22 from long distance. The Redbird defense proved to be equally up to the challenge, holding the Rivermen to 33 percent from the floor and scoring 16 points off UMSL turnovers.
The `Birds jumped out to an early 9-4 lead at the 15:26 mark in the first half, when senior guard Roberto Fortes drained a three-point shot assisted by junior-transfer Boo Richardson. The Rivermen got back into the game by hitting four shots from long distance, including one from senior guard Troy Slaten, which tied the game 20-20 with 10:38 left in the half.
UMSL continued to play tough in the opening half, taking a 27-26 lead when junior forward David Ward hit a shot in the paint with 6:13 left, before ISU caught fire and closed the half on a 12-3 run, as Fortes and Dyer led the run with five points each.
The Redbirds took a 38-30 advantage at the break, thanks to the team connecting on 53 percent of their shots (16-30), including 4-of-13 from long distance. The bench gave `Birds a huge lift, with Eldridge and Fortes both chipping in with seven points a piece and combining to hit on 3-of-5 three-point shots.
Missouri-St. Louis kept it close throughout the half with its own sharp-shooting from the outside. UMSL hit 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, with half of those shots coming from Division I transfer (Idaho) senior forward Brett Ledbetter, who led all scorers with 18 points on 4-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Illinois State opened the second half on a 17-4 run and never looked back. Junior Dom Johnson poured in five points for the `Birds during the run that put the game out of reach. The Redbirds' hot shooting touch carried over from the first half as ISU built its lead to as many as 28 points. The `Birds improved their shooting to 60 percent in the second half, with 5-of-9 shots coming from the three-point line.
The Redbird basketball team will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 12, when it opens regular-season action against SMU in Tallahassee, Fla. The game will be the first of three, as the Redbirds will be taking part of the Colonial Classic, hosted by Florida State.
