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DAN MULLER POSTGAME | NICK BANYARD POSTGAME
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's basketball team made a season-high eight first-half 3-pointers on the way to a 66-55 victory over Tennessee State Tuesday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The win for ISU snapped a seven-game win streak for TSU.
Nick Banyard led the way for the Redbirds, collecting a career-high 11 rebounds and with eight points. MiKyle McIntosh, Roland Griffin and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell all scored 10 points each. McIntosh also brought down six rebounds.
The Redbirds (6-7) shot 46.8 percent (22-for-47) from the field and finished the game with nine 3-pointers, one short of their season high. ISU held the Tigers (9-3) to 37.7 percent (23-61) from the floor. The Redbirds won the battle on the glass and outrebounded the Tigers by a margin of 39-28.
Right out of the gates, the game was a seesaw affair that saw TSU gain a 6-5 advantage. From that point on, the Redbirds found their stroke and pulled away from the Tigers with a 17-7 run to take a 22-16 lead. ISU got hot from beyond the arc, making five 3-pointers during that stretch, two of which came from Banyard.
ISU continued its hot shooting in the first half and finished with eight trifectas scored by five different Redbirds. The Redbirds led by 13 points at one point in the half and went into the halftime break with a 35-23 advantage. ISU shot a season-high 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the opening half and had 11 assists on 13 made field goals. Defensively, the Redbirds held the Tigers to 23 first-half points, which was a season-best for ISU. Illinois State did a good job distributing the basketball, as eight different players scored in the first 20 minutes.
To start the second half, ISU cashed in with points on its first four possessions and built a 42-26 lead thanks to a 7-3 run. Daouda "David" Ndiaye gave ISU an18-point lead, ISU's largest of the season, after a successful trip to the free throw line at the 15:07 mark of the half. TSU made a 7-2 run and got to within 13 points of the Redbirds with just under 10 minutes to play. But the Redbirds maintained a double-digit lead down the stretch and held on to win 66-55.
The Redbirds have now completed the non-conference portion of their schedule, and ISU will open up Missouri Valley Conference play at home when Missouri State visits Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Wednesday, Dec. 30, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
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