NORMAL, Ill. – Behind a 56-point second half, Illinois State overcame an 11-point first-half deficit as five Redbirds scored in double-figures in a 79-72 win over Belmont, the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference.
How it Happened
The Redbirds jumped ahead early and led by one at 18-17 following a Rey Idowu lay-in with 10:47 to play in the first half; however, the Illinois State offense went cold, scoring just five points the rest of the way, as Belmont took an eight-point, 31-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Illinois State crept their way back into the game in the second half, closing to within one on a DJ Horne three-point basket with 15:06 to play. After the Belmont advantage got stretched to seven at 61-54 with 10:12 to play in the game, Illinois State started on a 14-3 to push ahead by four points and never trailed again in the seven-point win.
Key Moment
After Belmont cut Illinois State's lead to two with 2:33 to play in the game, redshirt sophomore Taylor Bruninga drained a three-pointer along the baseline in his first game in over a year, pushing the Redbird lead to five.
Inside the Box Score
- Illinois State had five players score in double figures for the first time since the team hosted Ole Miss last season.
- Zach Copeland scored 20 points, one point off his career-best, while dishing out five assists, pulling down six rebounds, and nabbing a trio of steals.
- Idowu scored a career-high 11 points, making 5-of-9 shots from the field.
- Jaycee Hillsman scored 11 points in his Illinois State debut while adding six rebounds and two steals.
- Ricky Torres had a 10-point, six-assist outing in his debut with the team.
- In his first collegiate game, freshman DJ Horne scored 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting game.
- Abdou Ndiaye had a game-high four blocked shots while adding four points and five rebounds.
- Antonio Reeves scored five points off of the bench in his Redbird debut.
Stat of the Game
Illinois State dished out 16 assists against just eight turnovers.
What's Next
Illinois State returns to Redbird Arena on Sunday, hosting the Little Rock Trojans, who opened the season with a 67-66 win in Springfield, Missouri, over MVC preseason favorite Missouri State.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
