Box Score | Dan Muller and Paris Lee Interviews
HONOLULU – Illinois State jumped out to a 16-0 advantage and led wire-to-wire in a 68-56 victory over Tulsa to clinch third place at the Diamond Head Classic Sunday afternoon, on Christmas Day, at the Stan Sheriff Center.
With the win, ISU (8-4) avenged a Dec. 7 nonconference loss at Tulsa (6-6). The Redbirds held the Golden Hurricane to a season-low 14-for-52 (26.9 percent) shooting effort from the field. Meanwhile, Illinois State shot 25-for-61 (41.0 percent).
Paris Lee led four Redbirds in double-figures with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Deontae Hawkins scored 16 points, while Tony Wills netted 11 points and MiKyle McIntosh scored 10. Tulsa's Junior Etou was the only Golden Hurricane to record double-digit scoring by totaling 22 points, 13 of which came at the free throw line on 14 attempts.
ISU scored 16-unanswered points to start the game, including five points by Lee. Defensively, the Redbirds held Tulsa without a field goal for the first 6:42 until a 3-pointer by Joseph Battle at the 13:18 mark. ISU extended its lead to 23-4 on a Wills layup. But, a 6-2 run by Tulsa from 9:39 to 8:19 cut the Redbird advantage to 25-10 on an Etou 3-pointer.
Illinois State responded with five-unanswered points; however, an 11-5 Golden Hurricane run pulled Tulsa within 14 points, 35-21, with 1:10 remaining. A pair of Phil Fayne free throws at the 51-second mark gave ISU a 37-21 halftime advantage. Lee led all first-half scorers with 12 points, and the Redbirds shot 14-for-35 (40.0 percent) from the field while holding the Golden Hurricane to 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) shooting.
Wills netted a 3-pointer from the right wing on ISU's first offensive possession of the game which sparked a 7-3 run to build a 20-point, 44-24, advantage. Tulsa responded with six-straight points to pull within 44-30 on a Martins Igbanu layup at the 13:13 mark. However, Illinois State answered by manufacturing a 9-2 run to take a 55-34 lead on a McIntosh jumper with 9:16 remaining.
The Golden Hurricane responded with a game-best 17-4 run to pull within 60-51 on an Etou jumper at the 3:45 mark. But, ISU outscored Tulsa, 8-5, over the final 3:45 to secure the win.
Hawkins Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior forward Deontae Hawkins represented Illinois State on the five-player Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team, as announced Sunday evening upon conclusion of the tournament. Hawkins averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during Illinois State's three game games at the Diamond Head Classic. He shot 16-for-40 (40.0 percent) from the field and 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) at the free throw line.
With Illinois State's nonconference season complete, the Redbirds return to Normal, Illinois, for their Missouri Valley Conference opener versus Evansville Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. For tickets, navigate to GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, call (309) 438-8000 or visit the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office at the north entrance to Redbird Arena.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
