ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Trailing by 24 with just under 13 minutes to play in the game, the Illinois State Redbirds held the Saint Louis Billikens without a field goal for the final 12:55 of the game, climbing to within as few as five the own the stretch. The five-point margin would be as close as the Redbirds would come, as the game settled on its final margin of nine at 80-71.
Malachi Poindexter scored a career-high 19 points, while Dalton Banks also reached a new scoring high-water mark with 17 points. Myles Foster scored 10 points, while freshman Jonny Kinziger scored eight. Brandon Lieb pulled down a game- and career-high 12 rebounds while tying his career-high with six points. Banks and Foster each dished out three assists to tie for the team lead.
Illinois State returns to action on Wednesday, November 15 when the team plays host to Eastern Illinois in a 7 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
The Redbirds led early in the contest, with an advantage of as many as four with the team's last lead coming with 14:58 to play in the first half on a Kendall Lewis jumper in the paint. Saint Louis answered with a 7-0 run, and the hosts never trailed again in the contest. After the Redbirds trimmed the margin to two with just under six minutes to play in the opening period, the Billikens ran off 16 consecutive points to lead by 18 before ISU closed the half by out-scoring SLU 8-2 to cut the deficit to a dozen heading into the locker room.
Saint Louis extended its lead to as many as 24 following a dunk with 12:55 to play in the game; however, Illinois State immediately responded with an 11-0 run to close the gap to 13. After a free throw snapped the scoring streak, ISU ran off another nine points, cutting the gap to five with 5:02 to play in the game. The margin remained at five after a Kinziger jumper; however, the Billikens made six free throws down the stretch while holding the Redbirds to just two points, holding on for the nine-point victory.
The Billikens were led by Jimerson who scored a game-high 20 points, 15 of which came from the charity stripe, while Sincere Parker scored 19 and Terrence Hargrove Jr. 12.
The Redbirds out-rebounded Saint Louis 39-to-34 in the game, while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range. Saint Louis converted on 42.3 percent of its field goal tries, and just 6-of-21 (28.6%) from beyond the arc.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 0 Luke Kasubke, 1 Malachi Poindexter, 3 Dalton Banks, 12 Brandon Lieb and 22 Kendall Lewis.
- This is the first time this group has been in the starting lineup together.
- The Redbirds won the opening tip
- The first points of the season came from Malachi Poindexter on a free throw with 19:39 to play in the first half.
- The first sub off the bench for Illinois State was Myles Foster with 15:39 to play in the first half.
- Saint Louis led 46-34 at halftime.
- The Redbirds held Saint Louis without a field goal for the final 12:55 of the game.
- Saint Louis' 30 made free throws are tied for the 32nd-most in a game against ISU in program history.
- Saint Louis guard Gibson Jimerson made 15 free throws on the game, tied for the sixth-most by an ISU opponent in school history.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Malachi Poindexter
- His 19 points are a new career-high
- Scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game to start the season
- His nine free throws and 12 free throw attempts are a new career-high
- His six rebounds are one off his career-high, which he set in the season opener against Lourdes
- Ty Pence
- Scored his first collegiate points on a free throw
- Pulled down a career-high three rebounds
- Dalton Banks
- His 17 points are a new career-high, bettering his previous best of 14 which he did three times while at Southern Illinois
- He has now scored in double-figures 13 times in his career, and in each of his two games with Illinois State
- His three made three-pointers are a new career-high
- Myles Foster
- Scored in double-figures for the second straight game to open the season, and for the 29th time in his career.
- Johnny Kinziger
- Scored a career-high eight points, including making a pair of three-point baskets
- Brandon Lieb
- Pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds, the first time in his collegiate career with 10+ rebounds in a game.
- Tied a career-high with six points
- Kendall Lewis
- Scored five points, and now has 996 career points as a collegiate basketball player.
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