Redbirds Shoot Past UC Irvine, Advance to NIT Second Round

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NORMAL, Ill. – Deontae Hawkins reached a career-high in 3-pointers (six) to lead Illinois State (28-6) to an 85-71 victory over UC Irvine (21-15) in the First Round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Wednesday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.

Hawkins was just two points shy of tying his career high, scoring 22 points thanks to a perfect 6-for-6 effort from behind the arc and added five rebounds to lead the Redbirds to the victory. He was joined in double figures by fellow senior and 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Paris Lee, who scored 13 points and added seven assists while committing no turnovers. MiKyle McIntosh also netted 13 points for ISU and finished with a team-best eight rebounds against the Anteaters. The Redbirds remained undefeated at home this season and won their 22nd-straight game at Redbird Arena dating back to last season.

After UC Irvine won the tipoff, Illinois State's Phil Fayne blocked a shot by Ioannis Dimakopoulos, and Hawkins netted a 3-pointer on the other end as ISU took a 5-0 lead. However, the Anteaters scored five-straight to tie the game at 5-5, before the Redbirds responded with a 10-3 run to take a 15-8 advantage on a Lee jumper at the 15-minute mark. UC Irvine manufactured a 6-2 run to pull within 17-14, but Illinois State scored seven-unanswered to lead by 10 points, 24-14, on a Fayne layup at the 10:38 mark. An 8-3 run by the Anteaters cut the Redbird lead to five point, 27-22, as Spencer Rivers netted a 3-pointer with 9:07 remaining in the first half. 

The Redbirds proceeded to outscore UC Irvine, 14-3, over the next six minutes to build a 16-point advantage, 41-25, at the 3:07 mark. Lee netted a pair of 3-pointers during the scoring stretch. The Anteaters ended the half on a 9-2 run, including a buzzer-beating trifecta by Jaron Martin to trim Illinois State's halftime lead to 43-34. ISU shot 17-for-34 (50.0 percent) in the first half compared to a 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) effort by UC Irvine. The Redbirds also committed just one first-half turnover.

Both teams exchanged baskets to start the second half, before Illinois State went on an 11-2 run to lead, 58-40, on a Lee 3-pointer with 15:46 remaining. However, UCI once again responded, this time by manufacturing a 12-1 run to pull within seven points at 59-52 with 12:05 remaining. UC Irvine further cut its deficit to six points at the 11:13 mark. But, seven-unanswered Redbird points established a double-digit advantage which the Redbirds never relinquished en route to the 85-71 victory.

Illinois State will host Central Florida in the second round of the NIT on Monday, March 20, at 6 p.m. at Redbird Arena, live on ESPN. Men's basketball season ticket holders will be sent pre-sale information for the game, before the public on-sale begins at 1 p.m. Thursday.  To order tickets, visit GoRedbirds.com/Tickets or call the Redbird Arena Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000. 

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