Nov. 28, 2010
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NORMAL, Ill. -
After a first half that saw both teams combine for just 42 points, Illinois State (5-1) scored 37 points and shot 52 percent from the field in the second half to pull away from Jacksonville State (2-5) for a 60-47 win Sunday on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in the final game of the 2010 Global Sports Roundball Classic.
Justin Clark led the way for the Redbirds with 11 points, while Alex Rubin scored in double figures for the first time this season and finished with 10 points. Blake Mishler also had a solid game with 10 points, to go along with four rebounds, and Trey Blue finished with nine points and three assists in the win for the Redbirds.
The two teams struggled out of the gate, with Jacksonville State holding a 6-5 lead at the second media timeout of the first half. The Redbirds opened the game shooting just 22 percent from the field (2-for-9), while the Gamecocks shot just 33 percent (3-for-9) through the first eight minutes of play.
Jacksonville State led by a score of 10-7 at the 8:08 mark after a jumper by Stephen Hall, before Anthony Cousin connected from three-point range to tie the game at 10-10 on the next ISU possession. The Gamecocks regained the lead and extended it to 15-12 with 4:37 left in the first half after a pair of free throws from Nick Murphy, but Rubin answered with a three-pointer to knot the game at 15-15 seconds later.
The score was tied at 17-17 with 2:29 left in the first half, before a jumper by Murphy put the Gamecocks up 19-17. That lead would not last long, as Rubin nailed his second three-pointer of the game on the ensuing ISU possession to give the Redbirds their first lead since early in the half at 20-19 with 1:47 left. Neither team scored over the next minute, before the Redbirds received a big push into the locker room as John Wilkins connected for a three-pointer from the top of the key to give ISU a 23-19 lead at halftime.
Illinois State finished the half shooting just 33 percent (9-of-27) from the field, but shot 57 percent from three-point range (4-of-7) including a pair from Rubin. The Redbirds scored 12 of their 23 points off the bench and scored seven points off turnovers, compared to just two points off the bench and no points off turnovers for the Warhawks.
The Redbirds scored the first five points of the second half, four of them coming from Clark, to extend the lead to 28-19 at the 16:43 mark. The Warhawks were held scoreless for the first four minutes of the half, until Dominique Shellman connected on a jumper to cut into the ISU lead at 28-21. Illinois State continued to increase its lead over Jacksonville State over the next two-plus minutes, raising the score to 35-25 after a layup by Mishler with just over 14 minutes left in the game.
ISU's lead increased to 46-34 at the 7:45 mark, when Austin Hill found Tony Lewis on the fast break for a wide open layup. The Redbirds maintained that lead and increased it to 13 points, after Blue converted a traditional three-point play after being fouled on a fast break layup attempt by Murphy with just over four minutes left in the game.
Jacksonville State could not cut the deficit to single digits the rest of the way, as the Redbirds earned the 60-47 victory to finish 3-0 and win the Global Sports Roundball Classic championship. Illinois State returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 1, against UNLV as part of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge Series. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
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