NORMAL, Ill. – A perfect free throw shooting day set the tone for Illinois State, which out-scored UIS in each half, winning the contest by a 76-57 final score on Friday afternoon.
How it Happened
UIS came out firing to start the game, scoring the first five points and not trailing through the first nine minutes of the contest. Back-to-back baskets by Dedric Boyd, one a jumper and the other a three-pointer gave Illinois State a three-point lead with 10:40 to play. The Redbirds continued its run – a total of 11-2 – and took a lead it would not give up for the remainder of the game. A late 4-0 run sent the Redbirds into the locker room with a seven-point, 34-27 lead.
UIS got to within one three and a half minutes into the second half, before ISU ran off a 15-3 run to push the margin to double-digits, and Illinois State cruised the rest of the way in the 19-point Redbird win.
Key Moment
Leading by five at 40-35, ISU senior transfer Hank Beard entered the game, and immediately drew an offensive foul. The Redbirds responded with an 11-3 run to put the game out of reach in the contest.
Inside the Box Score
- Zach Copeland scored a game-high 18 points, making 6-of-13 shots from the field with a trio of steals.
- Keith Fisher III scored a season-high 14 points, including making all eight of his free throw attempts.
- DJ Horne scored a career-high 13 points, making 6-of-7 shots overall from the field and half of his two three-point attempts.
- Rey Idowu tied a career-high with scoring a dozen points while grabbing six rebounds, which tied for the high-mark on the team.
- Dedric Boyd scored nine points, converting on 4-of-9 of his shots from the field.
- Illinois State had 12 players play in the game, each seeing at least nine minutes of action, and nine reaching the scoring column.
- The Redbirds grabbed 13 steals, the first time since last season Illinois State had at least 10 steals in a game.
Stat of the Game
Illinois State was a perfect 15-of-15 shooting from the free throw line, the third-most makes without a miss in a game in program history.
What's Next
Illinois State faces off against TCU on Tuesday, Dec. 3, when the teams will tip-off at 8 pm at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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