Redbirds Lead wire-to-wire in 14-point win

NORMAL, Ill.  – Illinois State led wire-to-wire as Phil Fayne scored a game-high 26 points and Keyshawn Evans added 17, as the Redbirds secured a 76-62 win over Indiana State, pushing Illinois State into a three-way tie for second place in the MVC standings.
 

How It Happened

Fayne got things started with a jumper 13 seconds in before the Sycamores knotted the score on the next time down the floor. A three-pointer by Milik Yarbrough and a lay-in by Evans put the Redbirds in the lead for good, while an Evans three-pointer and a Fayne-lay-in completed a start for Illinois State in which is made its first five shots of the game, leading by eight points early. Indiana State twice closed to within a single point in the opening half, but each time the comeback attempt was thwarted, as Illinois State took a 37-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.

After Illinois State's advantage was cut to five at 42-37, the Redbirds ran off a 9-2 run, capped by back-to-back lay-ins by Rey Idowu, to lead by a dozen with 13:53 to play. The margin was never in single digits again in the game and reached as many as 20 after a Fayne free throw, as the Redbirds cruised to the 14-point victory.

Key Moment

Leading by just one with 8:43 to play in the first half, Illinois State scored six straight points – on a pair of Evans three-pointers – extending the Redbird lead that they did not give up for the remainder of the game.

Inside the Box Score

·         Fayne scored a game-high 26 points, the fifth time this season that the senior has scored 20+ points in a game. Fayne added five rebounds and two steals.

·         Evans made a season-high five three-point baskets on nine attempts, scoring 17 points (also a season-high), while dishing out three assists and adding a rebound, a block, and a steal.

·         Yarbrough scored nine points and rounded out his game with a game-high five assists, four rebounds, and one steal.

·         Matt Chastain scored five points and dished out a career-high four assists with six rebounds and a highlight-reel blocked shot.

·         William Tinsley scored seven points with three rebounds and a steal.

·         Illinois State committed just nine turnovers, the second straight game and fifth time this season that the Redbirds have committed single-digit turnovers in a game.

·         For the fifth time this season ISU has hit half of its shots in a game, making 27-of-54 from the field.

Stat of the Game

0-50: In each half, Illinois State made exactly half of its shots, making 14-of-28 shots in the first half and 13-of-26 in the second.

What's Next

The Redbirds travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Through eight MVC games, the Redbirds and Bulldogs are two of the three teams tied for second place in the MVC standings.

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