Redbirds Aim to Extend Winning Streak at Missouri State

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Illinois State men's basketball team rides a three-game winning streak into JQH Arena for a Missouri Valley Conference rematch with Missouri State, Saturday, Jan. 30, at 3 p.m. After winning the first regular-season meeting on Dec. 30 with MSU, 74-61, the Redbirds are aiming to sweep their second MVC series of the year.

ILLINOIS STATE AT MISSOURI STATE • SATURDAY, JAN. 30, 2016 • 3 P.M. CT

• THE SERIES:
  Saturday's game marks the 68th meeting between Illinois State and Missouri State. ISU leads the all-time series, 39-28, with the Redbirds winning three-straight games and four of the last five. Versus the Bears, ISU is 11-19 in Springfield, Missouri, and 3-4 at JQH Arena. Head Coach Dan Muller holds a 5-3 record against Missouri State.

• THE COACHES:
  Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (68-54). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
  Missouri State: Paul Lusk (Southern Illinois, 1995) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Missouri State (66-83). Lusk led the Bears to a 20-win season and postseason bid (CollegeInsider.com Tournament) in 2013-14.

• 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 MISSOURI STATE:
  Picked to finish eighth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return all five starters and seven of nine letterwinners from last year's team, which recorded an 11-20 overall record and a 5-13 MVC mark (ninth place) ... senior guard Dorrian Williams was named to the 2015 MVC Most-Improved Team ... led in scoring by junior transfer Dequon Miller (12.7 ppg) who has earned a league-best five MVC Newcomer of the Week honors.

• UP NEXT: Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Loyola: 7 p.m. CT at Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

PREVIOUS GAME (W, 76-64 - JAN. 26, 2016 VS. DRAKE)
MiKyle McIntosh tied his career high with 25 points, and the Illinois State men's basketball team matched a Redbird Arena record with 15 3-pointers in a 76-64 win over Drake on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. McIntosh was one of four Redbirds to score in double figures, as a balanced ISU attack was too much for Drake to handle. Deontae Hawkins scored 17 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting, Justin McCloud scored 12 points and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell added 10 points. All eight Redbirds who saw playing time scored at least two points, and Tony Wills dished out a career-high seven assists.

FIRST MEETING (W, 74-61 - Dec. 30, 2015 VS. MISSOURI STATE)
After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, Illinois State made 10-of-13 shots from three-point range in the second half against Missouri State to come away with a 74-61 victory in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU was 15-for-27 from behind the arc, and the 15 3-pointers were the most for the team in Redbird Arena history. The Redbirds shot just 32.1 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of play, but connected on a blistering 69.6 percent of their shots in the second half to pull away with league-opening win.

MIDWAY POINT
Illinois State enters the second half of Missouri Valley Conference play with a 6-3 MVC record, signifying ISU's best record at the conference midway point since also starting league play with a 6-3 mark in 2008-09. The Redbirds went on to lose their next game that year, so Illinois State is now aiming for its best record through its first 10 games since going 7-3 in 2007-08 en route to a 25-10 overall record, a 13-5 (second-place) mark in the MVC and a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

LAST NINE YEARS, FIRST NINE GAMES

DEFENSIVE DISCIPLINE
In seven of Illinois State's nine Missouri Valley Conference games this season, the Redbirds have limited opponents below their season scoring average at the time. ISU is 6-1 when accomplishing this feat. Illinois State most recently held Drake (previously averaging 69.3 points per game) to 64 points. Earlier in the season, ISU held Evansville (previously averaging a league-best 79.4 points per game) to 66 points, despite ISU losing, 66-55 (Jan. 15). The Redbirds limited UE to its third-lowest point-total of the year.

SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
Sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh has increased his offensive productivity in Missouri Valley Conference play, averaging 12.0 points per game against league foes compared to 9.8 points per game during the non-conference season. McIntosh has averaged a team-best 16.5 points through Illinois State's last six contests, netting 18 or more points in four of the last six games. The Pickering, Ontario, native has scored a career-high 25 points twice this season, most recently with an 8-for-11 shooting performance from the field in Illinois State's win over Drake (Jan. 26). He also netted 25 points at Southern Illinois (Jan. 12).

McCLOUD'S MAKES
Senior guard Justin McCloud has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, most recently netting 12 points, shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range, in Illinois State's win over Drake (Jan. 26). He was also instrumental in ISU's victory against Northern Iowa (Jan. 23), netting a season-high 15 points while matching a career high with five 3-pointers on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. After the Redbirds fell behind by eight points at the 13:29 mark in the first half, McCloud proceeded to score three-straight 3-pointers within 75 seconds to give the Redbirds a one-point advantage. He has averaged 13.5 points in Illinois State's last two games.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DeVAUGHN
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell reached double figures in ISU's first 20 games of the season before being held to seven points versus Northern Iowa (Jan. 23). Dating back to last season, Akoon-Purcell has scored in double figures in 28 of the last 30 games. He has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16 and is averaging 14.7 points (seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference) and 4.7 rebounds per contest (17th in the MVC). Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring 11 times this season.

DISHING THE ROCK
Through Illinois State's last four games, junior guard Tony Wills has averaged 4.8 assists per game, dishing out a career-high seven assists in Illinois State's win over Drake (Jan. 26). Prior to that, Wills earned four assists in three-straight games, which matched career highs at the time.

RAINING 3s in REDBIRD
Illinois State teamed up to net 15 3-pointers for the second time this season, shooting 15-for-28 from beyond the arc in ISU's win over Drake (Jan. 26). The Redbirds also made 15 trifectas on 15-for-27 shooting in their win over Missouri State (Dec. 30). Deontae Hawkins netted five three-balls in both contests. ISU's 15 3-pointers were the most-ever made by the Redbirds on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, surpassing the previous record of 14. Illinois State's 15 trifectas also tied for third-most in program history, regardless of venue, with ISU last netting 15 3-pointers at Oakland Dec. 16, 2013.

CRASHING THE GLASS
After being outrebounded in eight of their first 10 games (going 4-6 with a -4.2 rebounding margin), the Redbirds have outrebounded the opposition in nine of their last 12 contests (going 8-4 with a +2.3 rebounding margin). ISU is 9-2 when outrebounding its opponent and 3-8 when outrebounded.

PARIS' POINTS
Point guard Paris Lee has nearly doubled his offensive production as a junior, ranking third on the team with 10.4 points averaged per game this season. Last year, as a sophomore, Lee ranked sixth on the team with 6.8 points per game, and as a freshman, he also ranked sixth on the team with 6.7 points per contest. Lee has achieved double-digit scoring in six of the last eight games.

HAWKINS' HEIGHTS
Sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins has crashed the boards this season, averaging a team-best 5.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference. Hawkins matched a career high with 15 rebounds in Illinois State's win at Bradley (Jan. 20). He also collected 15 boards last year versus Youngstown State (Nov. 29, 2014). Hawkins has tallied 10 or more rebounds twice this season.

BATTLING BACK
In seven of Illinois State's 12 victories this season, the Redbirds have overcome deficits of eight points or more. In ISU's first three Missouri Valley Conference wins, Illinois State overcame 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). ISU most recently overcame an eight-point deficit to beat Northern Iowa (Jan. 23).

NON-CONFERENCE TESTED
Illinois State entered Missouri Valley Conference play just one game below .500 (6-7) after playing a challenging non-conference schedule which included games against four 2015 NCAA Tournament teams (San Diego State, No. 2 Maryland, No. 1 Kentucky, UAB) and one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) qualifier (Murray State). ISU's non-conference schedule ranks No. 8 according to the Collegiate Basketball News, which ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference (as of Jan. 28), ahead of Wichita State (No. 15).

TRENDING
ISU is 12-1 when allowing less than 70 points and 0-9 when allowing more than 70; ISU is 6-1 when scoring 70 or more points; ISU is 7-0 when its starters outscore the opponent's starters; ISU is 9-2 when outrebounding its opponent and 3-8 when ISU is outrebounded; ISU is 11-1 when leading with five minutes to play and 0-9 when trailing at the five-minute mark; ISU is 9-2 when shooting more free throws.

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