CONWAY, S.C. – The Illinois State men's basketball team defeated South Carolina, 69-65, in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach Thursday morning.
How It HappenedÂ
The Redbirds opened the game with a dunk from William Tinsley that gave them an early 2-0 lead. ISU remained in the lead until midway through the first half when the Gamecocks tied it up at 12 off a three-pointer. A free throw from Keyshawn Evans and a layup by Matt Hein gave the Redbirds the lead once again. Evans sunk a three at the buzzer from Milik Yarbrough to secure the 32-23 lead to end the half.
A dunk from Tinsley opened the second half to extend the Redbird's lead 34-23. The Gamecocks tied it up at 43 midway through the half before a layup by Phil Fayne and a three by Madison Williams extended the Redbirds lead 48-43 with under 10 to play. Two layups from Fayne and two free throws by Yarbrough secured ISU's lead with under five minutes to play in the game, 55-50. A late scoring effort by the Gamecocks was not enough as the Redbirds continued to drop points as well, finishing the game with a 69-65 win over South Carolina.
Key Moment
A free throw from Evans and a layup by Hein put the Redbirds up 15-12 with eight minutes left to play in the first half. ISU kept that lead for the remainder of the half.
A layup by Fayne and a three by Williams extended the Redbirds lead 48-43 with under 10 to play in the game, giving ISU the momentum they needed to finish the game on top. Although they tied it up twice, the Gamecocks were never able to take the lead.
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Inside the Box Score
- Phil Fayne finished the game with his fourth career double-double and first of this season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- Milik Yarbrough led the Redbirds in scoring and assists with 18 points and six assists.
- Keyshawn Evans was close behind with 17 points and three assists.
- The Redbirds shot 72 percent from the free throw line and 31 percent from beyond the arc while the Gamecocks hit 67 from the line and 28 from beyond the arc.
- The Redbird bench contributed 33 points while the team shot 36 percent from the field.
- Illinois State never trailed in the game, and was tied with South Carolina for 3:24 of game-play time. There were three total tie scores after Illinois State scored to open the game.
- Illinois State improves to 9-2 all-time against the SEC, and 1-0 against South Carolina. The Redbirds face another SEC team – Ole Miss – on December 16.
Stat of the Game
14-of-17 – Milik Yarbrough's free throw total. The makes are tied for the seventh-most in a game in program history, while the attempts are tied for fifth.
What's Next
The Redbirds will play Friday at noon against the winner of the Boise State vs. UTEP game this afternoon.
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