Feb. 20, 2007
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Freshman Osiris Eldridge scored a game-high 18 points, all in the second half, and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Illinois State men's basketball team to a 65-55 victory over Creighton on senior night Tuesday at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds (15-14, 6-11 MVC) had three players reach double figures, as Levi Dyer scored 15 points and Dom Johnson added 12. Junior Anthony Slack grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.
The Bluejays (18-10, 12-5 MVC) struggled to hit shots from beyond the arc, as they shot a 21.1clip from threes. Nate Funk led the Jays with 16 points, with Anthony Tolliver and Nick Porter adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Creighton began the game on a 11-2 scoring run, leading the Redbirds with 14:17 remaining in the half. However, the Redbirds grabbed their first lead of the game by going on a spurt of their own, a 15-4 run that gave the `Birds a 17-15 advantage with 6:32 left. Dyer paced Illinois State during that time by scoring seven points, including a contested three-pointer at 8:17, which extended his streak of consecutive games with a made three to 18.
The Bluejays responded, going on a 13-1 scoring stretch and putting them ahead, 28-18, on a dunk from Tolliver with 2:48 remaining in the half. Creighton continued to apply pressure to the Redbirds' backcourt, ending the half with a 10-point lead at 35-25.
Eldridge caught fire in the beginning minutes of the second half, igniting the Redbirds' offense by scoring eight points on a 14-4 run. Freshman Bobby Hill capped off the stretch by hitting a jumper from just inside the three point line to tie the game at 39-39, with 12:52 remaining in regulation. After Dyer hit another three from the top of the key, the `Birds took a 45-44 advantage at 8:59 and forcing a Creighton timeout. The Redbirds continued to pull ahead, putting together a 15-5 spurt to give them the 57-49 lead after Johnson rolled off a screen and hit a three-pointer at the 2:40 mark.
After Funk shot a three-pointer that hit the front of the iron and bounced in at 1:56, the `Birds put the game out of reach by outscoring the Bluejays, 8-3, in the final 1:44 in regulation.
The Redbirds will play in their final regular season game when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face Northern Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m.
