NORMAL, Ill. – Despite out-scoring Murray State 40-36 over the final 20 minutes of the game, a 16-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome as the Redbirds fell to the visiting Racers by a 77-65 final score on Tuesday evening inside Redbird Arena.
Antonio Reeves, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, scored a team-high 19 points, while Mark Freeman scored 15 and Sy Chatman 14. Josiah Strong and Kendall Lewis narrowly missed double figure scoring with nine and eight points, each. Lewis led the team with seven rebounds, while Chatman grabbed six. Freeman dished out a game-high four assists, as the Redbirds had nine assists in the game.
ISU returns to action on Saturday, November 20, with a 6 p.m. tip-off when the team hosts the Bucknell Bison in the team's final game before heading to the Cancun Challenge.
The Racers started strong, scoring the first seven points of the game, and the visitors never trailed in the contest. The Redbirds fought back, climbing within a point after an 8-2 ISU run, and the margin stayed at one at 11-10 before Murray State ran off nine straight points to push the margin back to double digits. ISU got back as close as six in the second half, before the visitors closed the first half strong and went into halftime with a 41-25 lead.
Murray State extended its lead to 18 early in the second half before the hosts scored 10 consecutive points, the first six on a pair of Reeves three-point baskets and the last four on Freeman lay-ins. Another later 10-3 Redbird run closed the gap to as few as five; however, the Redbirds could not overcome the entire deficit, falling 77-65 in the contest.
ISU made 43 percent of its shots in the game (24-of-56), and 7-of-23 (30%) from long range, while making 10-of-12 free throws. Murray State made 47 percent of its shots, and 35 percent from long range.
The Racers were led by Tevin Brown who scored 19 points, as Justice Hill scored 17, and KJ Williams – the reigning OVC Player of the Week – scored 13 points with six rebounds.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
