NORMAL, Ill. – On senior night, it was the four final-year players for Illinois State that stood out, as all four reached double-figure scoring in the Redbirds' 67-60 win over Drake on Sunday afternoon. Prior to the game the team's four seniors and two senior managers were honored, and those four seniors accounted for 56-of-67 points in the win.
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How It Happened
The Redbirds jumped out quickly, scoring five of the first seven points on a jumper from Milik Yarbrough and a three-pointer by Keyshawn Evans, and behind that start Illinois State never trailed in the opening 20 minutes of action. The first-half advantage reached as high as 13 following an Evans jumper with 3:14 to play in the half that gave ISU a 31-18 lead. A Yarbrough jumper late in the half sent the Redbirds into the locker room with a 33-24 halftime lead.
The Illinois State offense struggled out of the gate in the second half, and the hosts were not able to reach the scoreboard until an Isaac Gassman three-pointer snapped a 9-0 Drake run to start the second half. That three-pointer and a jumper by Yarbrough a possession later turned a tie score into a five-point lead, and a tip-in by Matt Chastain pushed ISU's lead to six. Drake took its first lead of the game with 5:21 to play in the game; however, the largest lead the visitors would get in the would be that two-point margin. With the Redbirds trailing by one at 59-58, ISU got a three-pointer from senior William Tinsley to give the hosts the lead for good in the game, as ISU iced the game by making all six of its free throw tries down the stretch in the eventual seven-point win.
Key Moment
Tinsley's three-pointer with 1:41 to play in the game put Illinois State gave the Redbirds the lead for good in the game.
Inside the Box Score
- Yarbrough's first free throw, with 4:40 to play in the first half, gave the senior his 1,000th career point while with Illinois State, becoming the 45th player in program history to reach the milestone. He scored a game-high 21 points while pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out a team-high four assists.
- Phil Fayne scored 14 points with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in the game.
- Tinsley scored 11 points while pulling down five rebounds. He made 3-of-5 long-range shots in the contest.
- Evans scored 10 points, including making 5-of-6 from the charity stripe while dishing out two assists.
- Illinois State made 16-of-17 free throws in the game.
- The game was the third time this season that ISU has defeated at home the team that was either at the top of the conference or tied for the top spot in the conference standings, having also done so against Evansville on Jan. 5 and Loyola Chicago on Feb. 2.
Stat of the Game
Illinois State out-rebounded Drake 34-to-31, the fifth straight game in which the Redbirds have out-rebounded their opponent.
What's Next
Illinois State will get its chance for a fourth win over a team tied for the lead in the MVC standings when it hosts the Missouri State Bears on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in a 6 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.
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