NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Illinois State got a 23-point effort from senior Phil Fayne; however, the Redbirds fell in an offensive battle 100-89 to the Belmont Bruins, the team picked first in the preseason Ohio Valley Conference poll.
How It Happened
Belmont jumped out quickly, making five of its first eight shots and pushing ahead to an 13-2 lead 3:10 into the contest. Illinois State fought back, out-scoring the hosts 17-6 over the next five minutes to tie the game at 19. The margin remained tight, and ISU held a 35-32 lead with just under eight minutes to play in the opening stanza; however, Belmont caught fire over the last eight minutes, out-scoring ISU down the stretch in the first half and taking a 16-point, 62-46 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half deficit grew to as many as 20 at 90-70 before the Redbirds started to make their charge, including an immediate 12-2 run to cut the deficit in half with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. Illinois State was unable to cut the deficit to single digits, falling 100-89.
Key Moment
Illinois State used a 17-6 run to turn an 11-point deficit into a tie score with 12:23 to play in the first half.
Inside the Box Score
- Phil Fayne scored a game-high 23 points, making 10-of-16 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to go along with three blocked shots.
- Zach Copeland scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from long range, while dishing out a team-best five assists.
- All ten players that saw action for ISU scored at least four points each.
- William Tinsley pulled down a team-best six rebounds, while adding a pair of blocked shots.
Stat of the Game
18.8%: After seeing Belmont hit a scorching 61.1 percent (11-of-18) of its shots from long range, the Redbird defense tightened, holding the Bruins to 3-of-16 shooting over the final 20 minutes of the game.
What's Next
ISU returns home on Tuesday, Nov. 13, when the team plays host to the Chicago State Cougars in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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