ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – The Illinois State Redbirds got a career-high-tying 21 points from senior guard Zach Copeland, but it wasn't enough as ISU fell in its 2019 Paradise Jam finale by a 68-63 score to Grand Canyon on Monday afternoon.
How it Happened
After Grand Canyon struck first in the game, the Redbirds rattled off five consecutive points with a dunk by Matt Chastain and a three-pointer by Antonio Reeves to push ISU to a 5-2 lead. The Antelopes caught fire over the next five minutes, out-scoring the Redbirds 16-2 during the span, and pushing ahead to an 18-7 lead with 11:16 to play in the opening stanza. ISU fought back with an immediate 10-0 run to close the gap to one, and later a 13-3 run which was capped by a Copeland three-pointer, gave Illinois State the lead back at 30-29; however, GCU made a pair of free throws with three seconds on the clock to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
A lay-in by Rey Idowu pushed ISU ahead by one out of the gate in the second half, but the Antelope lead later ballooned to 10 in the second half at 48-38 before ISU used a 14-4 run to knot the score at 52. The Redbirds kept coming right to the edge of re-taking the lead, but could not get over the hump, as GCU iced the game with four free throws over the final 10 seconds to secure the five-point win.
Key Moment
After Illinois State took a one-point lead out of the locker room in the second half, Grand Canyon scored the next six points and never trailed again in the contest.
Inside the Box Score
- Copeland tied his career-high with 21 points, his second game of 20 or more points this season. He made 8-of-15 shots from the field, and 4-of-7 from long range.
- Dedric Boyd scored in double-figures for the fifth consecutive game with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
- Nine of the 10 players that saw action in the game reached the scoring column.
- Jaycee Hillsman pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, a season-high for the senior.
- Matt Chastain tied a career-high with five assists and blocked a pair of shots (tying a career-high) with no turnovers and five rebounds.
- Illinois State had a 14-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio in the game, while forcing 14 turnovers on the defensive end.
- Illinois State was out-rebounded for the first time this season, as GCU held a 39-to-33 edge on the boards in the game.
Stat of the Game
Illinois State had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the third time this season with 14 assists and 11 turnovers.
What's Next
The Redbirds return to action quickly after returning to Illinois, as the squad hosts the UIS Prairie Stars in a 2 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena on Friday, Nov. 29.
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