FINAL STATS | DAN MULLER INTERVIEW
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A Leo Vincent 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining broke a tie game and proved to be Southern Illinois' winning basket as a last-second three-point attempt by Paris Lee rimmed out in Illinois State's 81-78 Missouri Valley Conference loss at Southern Illinois Tuesday night.
Illinois State (9-9, 3-2 MVC) held the lead for 33:37 and led by as many as 12 points at the 15-minute mark in the second half. However, Southern Illinois (15-3, 4-1 MVC) outscored the Redbirds, 22-10, in the final 6:41 to secure the come-from-behind victory. ISU shot 27-for-58 (46.6 percent) from the field, while the Salukis shot 26-for-59 (44.1 percent).
MiKyle McIntosh scored a career-high 25 points on 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) shooting, including 22 first-half points, to lead five Redbirds in double figures. McIntosh also blocked a career-best three shots, while Tony Wills netted a season-best 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Five Salukis also reached double-digit scoring, with Vincent netting a team-best 24 points.
ISU took a 5-0 lead on a DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell layup and a 3-pointer from the left wing by Wills. ISU went on to build a 12-4 advantage with a McIntosh 3-pointer before Southern Illinois scored seven-unanswered to pull within 12-11. After SIU tied the game, 14-14, Vincent knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Salukis their first lead, 17-14, at the 12:21 mark.
McIntosh answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to regain a one-point advantage and spark a 13-2 run which included three McIntosh trifectas. The Redbirds went on to lead, 33-23, on three McIntosh free throws. Southern Illinois answered with a 7-0 run to pull within 33-30, but ISU extended its halftime advantage to 42-36 with a last-second Wills 3-pointer.
Sean O'Brien scored a layup to start the second half, pulling SIU within 42-38. Lee answered with five-straight points to take a nine-point lead. A Deontae Hawkins hook shot followed by a McIntosh free throw pushed ISU's advantage to 56-44 at the 15:00 mark, which was ISU's largest lead of the game. Southern Illinois responded with an 11-2 run to pull within 58-55 at the 12:25 mark.
Illinois State then outscored SIU, 6-2, to take a 64-57 lead. Southern Illinois tied the game, 72-72, on a pair of Mike Rodriquez free throws with 3:09 remaining, and the Salukis took their first lead of the second half on a Rodriquez 3-pointer at the 2:21 mark.
A Hawkins 3-pointer tied the game, 78-78, with 55 seconds to play before a Rodriquez 3-pointer lifted SIU ahead permanently, 81-78, at the 24-second mark. Lee's three-point attempt with two seconds remaining rimmed out as Southern Illinois held off the Redbirds.
With Illinois State's two-game road trip complete, the Redbirds return home to host Evansville Friday, Jan. 15 for an 8 p.m. tipoff. Tickets can be purchased by visiting or calling the ISU Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000, or by navigating to GoRedbirds.com/Tickets.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
