NORMAL, Ill. – Colton Sandage scored a game- and season-high 28 points while Kendall Lewis added 22 as the Redbirds used a late run to pull away from the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Wednesday night by an 87-81 final score.
Sandage is the fifth Redbird player this season to reach the 20-point scoring plateau, while Lewis' 22 points were two away from his career-high set earlier this season. Seneca Knight scored 13 points with a game-high five assists for ISU, with Darius Burford scoring 10. Lewis pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds with Knight grabbing nine as the Redbirds out-rebounded EMU 32-to-23, the second consecutive game that ISU has out-rebounded its opponent.
With the win the Redbirds will take a two-game win streak into its first game in Horton Field House – the former home of ISU basketball – since the 1987-88 season. ISU will host SIUE (7-3) in the game, which will start at 3 p.m.
For the game ISU made 56.3 percent of its shots, the second straight game – and third time this season – that the 'Birds made over half of their field goal attempts. Illinois State also made 28.6 percent of its shots from long range and 27-of-34 (79.4%) from the charity stripe – just the third time that the 'Birds have made fewer than 80 percent of their free tries in 10 games this season.
Eastern Michigan (2-8) led for most of the first 10- minutes of the game, and led by six (16-10) with 11:56 to play in the first half before ISU went on a 15-2 run, turning the six-point deficit into a seven-point, 25-18 lead – one that it would not give up for the remainder of the half, as the 'Birds took a 41-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Twice Illinois State (4-6) pushed its lead to double-digits in the second half, the last time at 53-43 with 16:28 to play before the feisty Eagles squad fought back, and re-took the lead, leading by as many as two, including at 76-74 with 3:43 to play in the game. From there the Redbirds – behind a loud CEFCU Arena crowd – closed the game on a 13-5 run to put the finishing touches on an 87-81 home win.
Eastern Michigan was led by Tyson Acuff who scored 14 points while Legend Geeter scored 13, Orlando Lovejoy 11 and Noah Farrakhan 10. The Redbirds held Emoni Bates – who came into the game ranked 13th in the country in scoring – to a season-low nine points, and none in the first half.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State is now 3-6 on the season while Eastern Michigan is 2-7.
- 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 third time that this lineup has been used this season.
- Today's game is the 32nd time these two teams have met on the basketball court.
- Illinois State leads the all-time series 23-9, and each team's win has come on their own home court.
- Eastern Michigan won the opening tip.
- The first Illinois State points of the game came with 17:16 to play in the first half on a Seneca Knight dunk.
- Illinois State's first sub was Ryan Schmitt with 14:12 to play in the first half.
- Illinois State led 41-35 at halftime.
- Colton Sandage marked the fifth different Redbird to 20+ points in a game this season.
- ISU had two players reach 20 points in the same game for the first time since February 26, 2022 when Antonio Reeves scored 28 and Howard Fleming scored 20
- ISU's team field goal percentage of 56.3 is a season-high, and the third time (second straight) that the team has made over half of its shots.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Seneca Knight
- Tied a season-high with five assists.
- Reached double-figure scoring for the third straight game, fifth time this season, and 49th time of his career.
- Darius Burford
- Reached double-figure scoring for the fifth time this season.
- Colton Sandage
- Reached double-figure scoring for the third time this season and 34th time in his career.
- His point total is a new season-high
- His 13 made free throws is tied for the second-most in CEFCU/Redbird Arena history, and tied for 16th-most in school history for a single game.
- Kendall Lewis
- Scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game, the seventh time this season, and the 31st time in his career.
- Pulled down 10 rebounds for his fourth double-digit rebounding game this season.
- The double-double was his third this season.
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