Nov. 14, 2006
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The inside and outside combination of Illinois State's Greg Dilligard and Boo Richardson was too much for McNeese State as the Redbirds notched their first win of the season with a 67-50 win over the Cowboys in the third and final day of the Colonial Classic at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Richardson paced the Redbirds (1-2) with a game-high 23 points, while Dilligard collected 20 pointsThe victory was the first for ISU away from Redbird Arena in its last 18 tries. The last Redbird victory away from Normal occurred on Feb. 19, 2005, when ISU topped Wisconsin-Green Bay 79-69 in ESPN BracketBusters.
Illinois State took the lead 9-7 at the 15:20 mark on an Anthony Slack lay up and never relinquished the lead. Over the next seven minutes, ISU went on a 14-3 run, which included six points by Dilligard, to give the 'Birds a 23-10 with 8:30 left in the first half. The Redbirds increased their lead to 16 points and took a 36-20 advantage into the locker room led by Dilligard's 11 first-half points.
In the second half, the Redbirds could never fully put McNeese State (0-3) away, but the Cowboys were unable to get any closer than 10 points. Both times McNeese State closed the gap to 10 points, the Redbirds responded including a 9-0 run in the game's final three minutes.
In addition to his career-best 23 points, Richardson also dished out a team-high seven assists in 36 minutes. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor and was 3-for-5 on treys. Dilligard registered the second 20-point scoring game of his career, while shooting 9-of-14 from the field.
The Redbirds out-rebounded the Cowboys 40-27, including a 18-9 edge on the offensive glass. As a result, the Redbirds outscored McNeese State 21-5 on second-chance points.
The Cowboys were led by Jarvis Bradley's 15 points, while Troy Aaron chipped in 12 and Aldryan Wardell added 10.
The Redbirds will return to action for their first home game of the season on November 20 against Cal State Northridge. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
