Nov. 18, 2007
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill.- Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge poured in a career-high 30 points, including 16 in the second half, to lift Illinois State's men's basketball team to an 89-73 win over visiting UNC-Wilmington inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Redbird head coach Tim Jankovich became just the second Redbird mentor in the Division I era to start his tenure with a 3-0 record.
Eldridge's 30 points came on a 10-for-15 shooting effort that included a 5-for-6 mark from three-point range. Seniors Dom Johnson and Anthony Slack joined Eldridge in double-figures scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Junior guard Brandon Holtz continued his torrid three-point shooting streak, as the Bloomington, Ill., native was 1-of-2 from beyond the arc in the game and bumped his season three-point shooting average to .727 (8-of-11).
The Redbirds started the opening stanza on a tear, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage. UNC-Wilmington answered with a 7-0 spurt to take a 9-8 lead, and held an 11-10 advantage at the first media timeout (15:43). The Seahawks kept the pressure on over the ensuing four minutes, recording a 7-2 spree to take their biggest lead of six, 18-12.
After falling behind by as many as seven points, the Redbirds pulled within four at 25-21 after Slack completed a three-point play, and Eldridge scored on a driving layup. UNC-Wilmington responded with a 12-6 run to reclaim a double-digit lead (37-27) with 3:18 remaining in the first half. The Redbirds finished the frame on a 14-9 spurt, and pulled within five, 41-36, heading into the locker room at halftime. Mike Vandello's tip-in with one-second remaining capped off the run. ISU's five-point deficit was the closest it had been since the 6:38 mark in the half.
Eldridge finished the half with a game-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Carter paced UNC-Wilmington with 14 points, including a 6-for-8 effort from the free throw line.
The Seahawks jumped up by ten points (48-38) just three minutes into the second half, before ISU responded with a 16-7 run to pull within one, 55-54, and forced UNC-Wilmington into its first timeout of the stanza (12:49). Eldridge hit two threes in the stretch, and senior center Levi Dyer added five quick points.
The Redbirds claimed their first lead since the 17:33 mark of the first half with 10:55 remaining in the game, after Slack converted on a jumper in the paint. ISU stretched its advantage to seven points after Eldridge hit a transition jumper from the top of the key that forced the Seahawks into a timeout with 5:33 remaining.
Illinois State will return to action Friday when it travels to Hoffman Estates, Ill., for the third round of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Redbirds will take on No. 8 Indiana at 7:30 p.m. from the Sears Centre.
