GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman – Illinois State got 18 points from Seneca Knight and 16 from Darius Burford; however, a second-half Western Kentucky run helped propel the Hilltoppers to a 78-66 win on Tuesday morning.
Knight scored a game-high 18 points with a game-high eight rebounds, while Burford scored 16 with four boards. Colton Sandage added nine points with a team-best three assists while Knight also led the team with two steals. Liam McChesney and Kendall Lewis had three and two blocked shots, respectively in the loss.
The Redbirds found themselves trailing 11-2 with 15:41 left in the first half before ISU ran off nine straight points, on three-pointers from Knight, McChesney, and Sandage to knot the score at 11 points apiece. After a pair of WKU free throws ISU ran off seven more points to take a five-point, 18-13 lead. The Redbird advantage grew to as many as six, before the Hilltoppers closed the gap and took a three-point, 38-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Twice ISU knotted the score in the second half on three-pointers from Knight and Sandage; however, 13 straight points for the Hilltoppers put the Redbird deficit into double-digits was only able to cut the WKU lead to single-digits once the rest of the way in the 78-66 loss.
ISU, who came into the game ranked fifth in the country in free throw percentage, made 14-of-15 and have a season free throw percentage of .836 (92-of-110) through six games. The squad made 21-of-55 from the field and 10-of-31 (32.3%) from beyond the arc. Western Kentucky made 26-of-51 shots for the game (51.0%), and 10-of-17 (58.8%) from long range.
The Redbirds suit up tomorrow in a 10 a.m. (CT) battle with either Tulane or Rhode Island.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 3 Seneca Knight, 10 Darius Burford, 13 Liam McChesney, 15 Colton Sandage, and 22 Kendall Lewis
- This is the first time that this lineup has been used to start a game.
- Today's game is the sixth game in the all-time series between the two schools, with the last meeting coming at the 2019 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
- The series is now tied at three wins apiece.
- Western Kentucky won the opening tip.
- The first Illinois State points of the game came on jumper from Darius Burford with 18:05 to play in the first half.
- Illinois State's first sub was Malachi Poindexter with 15:57 to play in the first half.
- Western Kentucky led 38-35 at halftime.
- Coming into the game ranked fifth in the NCAA in free throw shooting, the Redbirds were 14-of-15 from the charity stripe.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Seneca Knight
- On a three-pointer with 12:35 to play in the first half, Seneca Knight scored his 1,000th collegiate point.
- For the second consecutive game in the Cayman Islands Seneca Knight reached double-figure scoring.
- His 18 points are a new season-high
- His eight rebounds are a new season high.
- Darius Burford
- Scored in double-figures for the fourth consecutive game and has scored at least 16 in each of those games.
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