Jan. 27, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
With the Indiana State offense nipping at its heels, the Illinois State men's basketball team held off a late first-half run by the Sycamores to take a 33-28 lead at halftime Sunday afternoon on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The half saw four lead changes, as Indiana State came back from an early nine-point deficit to briefly take a two-point lead (25-23) before the Redbird offense regained its composure and captured the five-point halftime advantage.
Senior center Levi Dyer led Illinois State offensively in the first half with seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field. The Eaton, Colo., native also contributed three rebounds. Senior guard Boo Richardson was also a key performer for the Redbird offense, as he put up five points, along with a team-best four assists, in the half.
Richardson was the early offensive catalyst for the Redbirds, as he picked up two assists, along with a two points, to put the Redbirds up, 6-2, just after the 19-minute mark of the first half. Making his first start of the season, Dyer forced the Sycamores into their first timeout of the game at the 16:09 mark with a three-pointer from the left side that capped off an 11-2 Redbird run to start the game.
Indiana State mounted a comeback midway through the first half, as the Sycamores hit two jumpers in the paint to cut the Illinois State lead to seven at 13-6. Marico Stinson played a key role in Indiana State's comeback, as the sophomore guard had four points in a two-minute stretch, as the Sycamores moved to within three points (13-10) just before the 12-minute mark. A three-pointer at the 6:05 mark by Indiana State's Todd McCoy dropped the Redbird lead to just two points (23-21), and then the Sycamores took a two-point lead (25-23) off two quick baskets from Isiah Martin.
Both teams exchanged leads over the ensuing two minutes of play, as Dyer and Dinma Odiakosa briefly put the Redbirds up, 27-25, before the Sycamores dropped in a quick basket to regain the lead, 28-27. A dunk over a Sycamore defender, followed by a behind-the-back layup off a fastbreak, by sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge just past the one-minute mark gave the Redbirds the momentum as the two sides headed into the locker room, with Illinois State leading, 33-28.
GoRedbirds.com will provide complete postgame coverage of the Illinois State-Indiana State men's basketball game from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, including a recap, postgame notes and final statistics, following the completion of the game.
