NORMAL – Behind a school-record-tying 17 three-point field goals, the Illinois State Redbirds caught fire out of the gate in the second half and rushed past the Chicago State Cougars on Tuesday afternoon by a 91-62 final score.
The record-setting season for the Redbirds continued, as the 17 three-pointers made is tied for the sixth-most in MVC history, joining the previous games of 17 against Ole Miss on March 14, 2012 and against Drake on February 14, 1996 for the Redbirds. Four players made at least three three-point field goals as Josiah Strong made five, DJ Horne and Dedric Boyd with four each, and Antonio Reeves three. That quartet, and a late three-pointer by Jayden Johnson gave Illinois State its 17 for the game. The total also ranks as a tie for the 16th-highest single-game total in the country this season.
Horne scored a team-high 22 points in the win, becoming the fourth Redbird player to reach the 20-point plateau in a game this season, as the sophomore went 6-of-12 from the field, 4-of-10 from long range, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down four rebounds while adding a pair of assists and two steals. Strong scored 17 points with Boyd (13), Reeves (11), and Dusan Mahorcic (11) all reached double-figures in the game.
Freshman Howard Fleming Jr. pulled down a team- and career-high nine rebounds, as the Redbirds out-rebounded Chicago State 42-32. Strong dished out a team-best six assists, as the Redbirds gave out 24 helpers in the contest on 31 made baskets, which is also tied for the 62nd-highest single-game total in the country this season (a category which the Redbirds lead after its 57-assist effort against Greenville College). Abdou Ndiaye tied a career-high with four blocked shots, while Fleming Jr. had a pair of blocks in the game.
The Redbirds forced 14 Cougar turnovers in the game, while committing just 12 of their own. ISU made 50.8 percent of its shots in the game (31-of-61), including making 21-of-35 in the second half, 10-of-18 from long range.
Chicago State came out of the gate firing, making 10 of their its 17 shots through the first 12 minutes of the game, before cooling off for the remainder of the contest, hitting just 12-of-42 over the final 28 minutes of the contest. The Cougars used its strong shooting to jump out to a six-point lead. The Redbirds rallied, and after trailing by three with 3:35 to play in the first half, the hosts ran off the final nine points of the half to take a six-point, 36-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half started as the Redbirds continued their momentum and used a 21-6 run over the first eight minutes of the second stanza to add a gap, as the lead reached as large as 31 before settling on 29 with the 91-62 final score.
Xavier Johnson scored a game-high-tying 22 points, making 7-of-17 shots from the field to go with five rebounds, while Carlo Marble scored 17 points, also with five rebounds.
The team takes a break for the holiday before returning for MVC play starting with back-to-back games at Loyola Chicago on December 27 and 28.
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