Nov. 19, 2011
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Postgame Interview with Tim Jankovich
Play-by-Play Highlights
NORMAL, Ill. -
Five Redbirds scored in double figures to guide Illinois State to a 78-70 win against Lipscomb in the Cancun Challenge Saturday evening on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds (2-1) improve to 2-0 in the tournament ahead of Tuesday's matchup against Rutgers in Cancun, Mexico. Lipscomb (1-3) falls to 0-2 in the Cancun Challenge.
Tyler Brown led ISU with 19 points and eight rebounds, while John Wilkins scored 15 points. Anthony Cousin tallied 13 points, Johnny Hill had a career-high 11 points and Jon Ekey also scored 11. Saturday's game marked the first time five players have accomplished double-digit scoring since the Feb. 13, 2010 game at Creighton. Jackie Carmichael was ISU's leading rebounder, with nine boards, while Nic Moore dished out a team-best six assists. The Redbirds combined for 49 percent shooting from the field, which marked a season-high.
Lipscomb shot 44 percent from the field and outrebounded the Redbirds, 38-33. The Bisons were led in points and rebounding by Robert Boyd who scored 21 and grabbed six rebounds. Zavion Williams led Lipscomb with six assists.
After exchanging baskets to start the game, Illinois State built an early 15-6 lead with an 11-2 run over four minutes. Wilkins scored four points during the stretch. Lipscomb later outscored ISU 9-4 during a 1:22 stretch to pull within four points. However, the Redbirds answered with an 11-3 run to establish a 30-18 advantage, ISU's largest lead of the first half. Lipscomb again responded, this time with a 12-6 run to cut ISU's lead to 36-30. However, Illinois State ended the first half on a 5-0 run to lead 41-30 at intermission.
Wilkins led all first-half scorers with 13 first-half points. The Redbirds also took advantage of nine Lipscomb turnovers, which ISU turned into 16 points, compared to the Bisons' two points off of turnovers. The Redbirds also shot 52 percent from the field in the first half compared to Lipscomb's 39 percent, which equaled Illinois State's best shooting percentage and most points scored in a half so far this season.
The Bisons claimed the first points of the second half on a three-pointer by Williams, but Illinois State proceeded to outscore Lipscomb, 8-5, over the next 3:45. However, the Bisons went on an 11-2 run to pull within 51-49 with 12:03 to play. Brown ended ISU's scoring drought with a three-pointer to extend Illinois State's lead to 54-49. Hill followed with a three-point play after scoring a fast break layup which resulted from a steal by Brown.
Lipscomb proceeded to pull within one point with a 9-2 run over 3:09 to cut ISU's lead to 59-58 with 7:24 remaining. The two teams exchanged baskets until the Redbirds pulled away again, this time with an 8-0 run over 1:31, which included three pointers by Brown and Cousin. Lipscomb outscored ISU 10-5 to pull within 74-70 with 22.5 seconds to play. However, with Lipscomb running out of time and forced to foul, Hill and Brown each made two free throws to secure the victory.
Illinois State continues play in the Cancun Challenge Tuesday against Rutgers at 6 p.m. CT in Cancun, Mexico. The game is scheduled to be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
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