Feb. 24, 2009
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NORMAL, Ill. - Brandon Sampay chipped in a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds but a last-second tip-in by Northern Iowa's Adam Koch lifted the Panthers past the Redbirds, 69-67, in a double-overtime thriller on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Tuesday. The loss knocked the Redbirds out of contention for the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title.
Sampay, a senior, saved his best performance for the last regular-season game in his career on Doug Collins Court, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and pulling down his 12th board in overtime. Fellow seniors Emmanuel Holloway and Champ Oguchi added 13 points each and Lloyd Phillips scored 10.
Koch led all scorers with 25 points, none bigger than his final shot as time expired in the second-overtime. Johnny Moran drove the lane and missed a lay-up, but Koch rose above everyone on the floor for the rebound and put back the game-winning shot. The referees reviewed the shot and confirmed the result.
Illinois State (22-7 overall and 11-6 in the Valley) had its chances to knock off the Panthers (19-10, 13-4) at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime, but a pair of last-second shot attempts failed to fall. With the score tied at 55 near the end of regulation, Osiris Eldridge missed a contested jumper and Phillips' lay-up with the scored tied at 62 at the end of the first overtime was redirected by Lucas O'Rear.
For the first time at home this season, Illinois State trailed at the half as the Panthers jumped out to a 29-28 lead at the break. Eldridge was held scoreless in the first half while playing only four minutes due to early foul trouble. Sampay scored the first five points of the game for Illinois State and had 11 at the break. The Redbirds were out-shot 47.6-to-37.9 percent in the first half, but scored nine points off turnovers to keep it close.
The Redbirds outscored the Panthers 27-26 in the second half, thanks to eight points from Eldridge and six points in the final three minutes from Oguchi. The Oregon transfer scored the 1,000th point of his collegiate career with a three-pointer to start the Redbirds' scoring in the second overtime.
Jordan Eglseder (11) and Moran (10) joined Koch in double figures for Northern Iowa. The Panthers out-rebounded the Redbirds 47-38 and blocked five shots.
The game marked the fifth overtime of the season for the Redbirds and the first double-overtime game at Redbird Arena since the Redbirds defeated Southern Illinois, 104-98, Feb. 18, 1995.
Illinois State closes its regular-season schedule with a match-up against the Missouri Valley Conference-leading Creighton Bluejays Saturday in Omaha at 1:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
