NORMAL, Ill. – Despite career-high outings from DJ Horne and Dusan Mahorcic, the Illinois State Redbirds fell in double-overtime to the UNI Panthers on Saturday afternoon by a 94-87 final score.
The Redbirds and Panthers will meet up for a third straight game on Thursday in the opening round of the MVC Tournament, the first time in ISU's history that the Redbirds have faced the same team in three consecutive games. It was also the first double-overtime for Illinois State since February 24, 2009 when ISU lost 67-69 to the Panthers in Redbird Arena.
Horne scored a game-high 34 points, making 13-of-23 shots from the field, 4-of-10 long-range shots, and 4-of-5 free throws. The points, field goals, field goal attempts, and minutes are all new career-highs for the sophomore who also moved into fifth place in school history among sophomores with 60 total makes. Mahorcic made 8-of-9 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throw tries for his new career-high of 20, topping the 18 he scored a night earlier. He also pulled down nine rebounds to lead the team and tie for game-high honors.
Josiah Strong scored 14 points while Antonio Reeves added 11. Howard Fleming Jr. and Emon Washington each pulled down seven rebounds, as the Redbirds out-rebounded UNI 40-to-32 in the contest. Horne dished out five assists to lead the team, as Mahorcic picked up a trio of steals.
UNI jumped out quickly, pushing ahead to an 11-2 run, and led by 10 six minutes into the game. Trailing by eight with 8:27 to play in the first half, Illinois State went on a 15-2 run to turn the deficit into a five-point advantage, which reached as big as seven heading into halftime.
The Redbirds jumped out quickly, extending the lead to double digits, including by 10 at 47-37. The second Illinois State double-digit margin was answered with an 11-0 UNI run that gave the visitors a one-point advantage. Over the final 12 minutes of regulation the lead changed hands 10 times as the teams were drawn even six times in the period, as the teams found themselves tied at 70 after 40 minutes of basketball.
In the overtime period the Redbirds scored the first five points, which were answered by six straight points from UNI. The teams traded baskets over the final two minutes of the first overtime period, before Mahorcic made two consecutive free throws with four seconds left to send the game to its second overtime period. The Panthers scored five straight out of the gates in the second overtime, and never trailed, taking home the seven-point win.
Illinois State hit nearly half of its shots, making 33-of-67 shots from the field, and converted on 8-of-29 three-point attempts – a percentage of 27.6. UNI went 35-of-69 from the field, 50.7 percent, and 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
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