DES MOINES, Iowa – Despite four players in double-figure scoring, including a game-high 20 points from Kendall Lewis, the Illinois State Redbirds fell 86-75 to the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday evening in the Knapp Center.
Lewis made half of his 12 shots in the game, including 4-of-6 from long range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Antonio Reeves scored 15 points, while Sy Chatman scored 14 and Josiah Strong 12. Strong and Reeves tied for the team lead with five rebounds, while Strong dished out a season-high six assists in the loss.
The Redbirds return to action on Sunday, January 16 when the team hosts I-74 rival Bradley in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.
ISU jumped out quickly, leading 8-3 early in the game behind six points from Abdou Ndiaye, and the 'Birds kept their advantage through the first eight minutes until the hosts ran off a 12-0 run to take a seven-point lead. The first half Redbird deficit reached as many as eight before a 16-8 Redbird run tied the score at 36. Neither team could get momentum down the finishing stretches of the second half, as Drake took a two-point, 44-42 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Illinois State trimmed the margin to one with 17:57 to play in the game on an Emon Washington three-point play, but the hosts ran off eight consecutive points to stretch the Bulldog lead to nine. The margin reached as many as 12 in the second half and closed at 11 with the 86-75 final score.
The Redbirds made 24-of-51 shots from the field (47.1%), and 10-of-19 (52.6%) from long range. Drake was 33-of-59 shooting in the game, a percentage of 55.9, while hitting on 9-of-22 long-range shots.
Drake was led by Roman Penn and Tucker DeVries who each scored 16 points, while Garrett Sturtz scored 12, D.J. Wilkins 11 and Tremell Murphy 10.
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