Redbirds Return Home to Host Evansville Friday at 8 p.m.

NORMAL, Ill. – After winning six of its last seven home games, the Illinois State men's basketball team will try to win five-straight on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena and remain undefeated in Missouri Valley Conference home games when the Redbirds (9-9, 3-2 MVC) host Evansville (15-3, 4-1 MVC) Friday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. The Redbirds are trying to snap a two-game losing skid.

EVANSVILLE AT ILLINOIS STATE • FRIDAY, JAN. 15, 2016 • 8 P.M. CT

• THE SERIES:
  Friday's game marks the 53rd meeting between Illinois State and Evansville. ISU leads the all-time series, 34-18, with the Redbirds winning three-straight and four of the last five. Versus the Purple Aces, ISU is 20-3 at home and 19-3 at Redbird Arena. Head Coach Dan Muller is 5-2 against UE, with ISU winning all three games in 2014-15.

• THE COACHES:
  Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (67-53). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
  Evansville: Marty Simmons (Evansville, 1987) is in his ninth season as the head coach at Evansville (141-137). In 2015, Simmons coached the Aces to a record of 24-12, signifying UE's most wins since 1991-92.

• ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
  Picked to finish fourth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and six of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 22-13 overall, advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ... tied for third place in the 2014-15 MVC standings (11-7) ... feature MVC preseason team selection DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell ... started the MVC season 3-0 for the first time since 2008-09.

• ABOUT EVANSVILLE:
  Picked to finish second (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return all five starters and nine of 11 letterwinners from last year's team, which recorded a 24-12 overall record and an 9-9 MVC mark (fifth place) and won the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship ... feature MVC preseason team selections D.J. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius ... team is averaging a league-best 79.4 points per game.

• UP NEXT: Wednesday, Jan. 20 at Bradley: 7 p.m. CT at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois (I-74 Rivalry Game).

LAST TIME OUT (L, 81-78 - JAN. 12, 2016 AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)
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. 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).

STRONG START
By beginning the 2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference season with a 3-0 record before suffering their first MVC loss at Indiana State (Jan. 9), the Redbirds recorded their best start to a conference season since also beginning 3-0 before suffering a loss during the 2008-09 season. Illinois State has now started conference play with a 3-0 record just seven times since joining the MVC in 1981. After starting 3-0, the Redbirds have gone on to finish no lower than third in the league. ISU is now 3-2 after two-straight losses.

Top Seven MVC Starts in Illinois State History (MVC Record/Finish/Postseason

CLIPPED
After falling behind and being forced to overcome double-digit deficits in their first three Missouri Valley Conference games, the Redbirds have lost two-straight games in which they held double-digit advantages. ISU led by as many as 13 points at the 3:25 mark in the first half at Indiana State (L, 77-65, Jan. 9) and led by as many as 12 points at the 15:00 mark in the second half at Southern Illinois (L, 81-78, Jan. 12).

MiKYLE'S STYLE
Sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh has notched back-to-back career performances, earning a career-high 25 points (22 in the first half) on a career-best eight field goals and five 3-pointers, plus a career-high three blocks at Southern Illinois (Jan. 12). At Indiana State (Jan. 9), McIntosh scored a then-career-best 20 points, while matching a career high in assists (four) during a season-best 33 minutes.

LOCK DOWN
Charged with guarding one of the top offensive players in the Missouri Valley Conference, junior guard Tony Wills limited Southern Illinois' Anthony Beane to 12 points on 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) shooting during ISU's game at SIU (Jan. 12). Beane, who had been averaging 20.6 points per game (second in the MVC) on 40.4 percent shooting, was held under 13 points for just the third time all season. Wills excelled on both ends of the floor, scoring a season-high 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field.

BATTLING BACK
In six of Illinois State's nine victories this season, the Redbirds have overcome deficits of eight points or more. In all three of the Redbirds' Missouri Valley Conference wins, ISU has overcome deficits of 12 or more points (down 13 vs. Missouri State, Dec. 30; down 12 at Drake, Jan. 3; down 13 vs. Loyola, Jan. 6). Illinois State's wins over Missouri State and Loyola marked the 25th and 26th times in program history, respectively, that ISU has overcome a deficit of 13 points or more to win.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DeVAUGHN
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has reached double figures in all 18 of ISU's games this year, and dating back to last season, 20-straight and 25 of the last 26. He has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16, and Akoon-Purcell is averaging 15.6 points (fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference) and 4.6 rebounds per contest (17th in the MVC). Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring 10 times this season.

SPLITTING THE LOAD DOWN LOW
Illinois State's bigs have rebounded and blocked shots by committee this season, with four players ranking among the Missouri Valley Conference's top-20 rebounders and four players ranking among the MVC's top-11 shot blockers (signifying more players from a single MVC program than any other in each category).

TRENDING
ISU is 9-0 when allowing less than 70 points and 0-9 when allowing more than 70; ISU is 4-1 when scoring 70 or more points; ISU is 6-0 when its starters outscore the opponent's starters and 3-9 when Illinois State's starters do not outscore the opponent's; ISU is 7-1 when outrebounding its opponent and 2-8 when ISU is outrebounded; ISU is 8-1 when leading with five minutes to play and 0-8 when trailing at the five-minute mark; ISU is 7-2 when shooting more free throws than its opponent and 2-8 when shooting fewer.

HAWKINS BAROMETER
When sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins plays well, so too do the Redbirds this season. ISU – now 9-9 overall – is 8-3 when Hawkins achieves double-digit scoring. The Redbirds are 9-4 when Hawkins nets eight or more points.

LEE-DING IN STEALING
After 18 games, junior point guard Paris Lee is tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 1.7 steals averaged per contest. With one steal at Southern Illinois (Jan. 12), Lee increased his career-total to 160 steals and is in sole possession of fifth place on the career steals list, ahead of Jamar Smiley (ISU's point guard when Dan Muller played). In 2014-15, Lee led the MVC and ranked No. 9 nationally in steals (2.4 per game), establishing ISU's single-season steals record (82). Lee has 31 steals this season.

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