RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – Despite shooting 52 percent from the field and having four players score at least 15 points, the Illinois State Redbirds found themselves on the wrong end of a 106-90 final score against Buffalo, in each program's final game of the 2021 Cancun Challenge.
Kendall Lewis scored a team-high 22 points – his highest total as a Redbird – making 8-of-10 shots from the field and all five of his three-point tries. Sy Chatman added 21 points, while Antonio Reeves scored 17 and Josiah Strong 15.
The Redbirds return to action on Saturday, November 27 when the team hosts Purdue Northwest in an 8 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.
ISU struck first in the game with a Sy Chatman three-point play, before Buffalo ran off a 15-3 run, and the Bulls never trailed again in the contest. The Buffalo lead stretched to as many as 13 in the first half at 27-14 before ISU scored 10 straight points to close within three at 27-24 after a Howard Fleming Jr. three-pointer. The Bulls responded with a 10-0 run of their own as they took a 15-point, 49-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half Illinois state made nearly 70 percent of its shots, making 23-of-33 from the field and scored 56 points; however, Buffalo was equally as hot, making 8-of-10 three-pointers and 63 percent of their shots in the second half, scoring 57 points over the final 20 minutes.
Buffalo was led by Josh Mballa who scored a game-high 29 points, while three players, Jeenathan Williams, David Skogman, and Ronaldo Segu each scored 17.
For the game ISU made 51.5 percent of its shots (35-of-68), and 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from long range.
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