ESTERO, Fla. – Behind a game-high 15 points from Dalton Banks – in addition to a near-record six steals – the Illinois State Redbirds never trailed in a 61-52 win over Long Beach State in the opening round of the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase.
Banks scored 15 points while Johnny Kinziger scored 10 – his second consecutive game scoring in double-figures this season. Kendall Lewis scored nine for the Redbirds, while Malachi Poindexter added eight, and ISU got seven points each from Myles Foster and Darius Burford. Foster pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds, while Lewis grabbed seven. Banks dished out a team-high three assists, while his six steals were one off the school record held by five former Redbirds including Vince Greene, Victor Williams, Ron Jones (twice), Mike Bonczyk, and Bubbles Hawkins, and only Bonczyk did it as a senior.
The Redbirds take the court tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT) against the High Point Panthers, who picked up an 82-68 win over Iona.
With the win, Illinois State snapped an eight-game losing skid in on-site MTE (multi-team events), with the previous last win in such an event was on November 20, 2018, against Boise State in the Cayman Islands. It was ISU's first opening-day win in an MTE since November 16, 2017, against South Carolina at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach.
The Redbirds never trailed in the contest, and scored the first five points of the game on a Poindexter three-pointer and a Lieb lay-in. Long Beach State fought back with five consecutive points to knot the score, before the 'Birds scored 10 straight points to stretch the lead to 10 at 15-5. The first half lead grew to as many as 11 points, and was shrunk to as few as four, with ISU taking an eight-point, 32-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Illinois State came out strong to start the second half, using an 11-2 run over the first six minutes to stretch the lead to its largest at 17 points. Long Beach State fought back as the Redbird offense struggled, and The Beach scored 12 consecutive points to close the gap to five with 8:54 to play in the contest. The lead yo-yo' d back and forth for the next four and a half minutes, and leading by five with 4:19 to play, ISU proceeded to out-score LBSU 13-9 down the stretch to pick up the nine-point win over the team that had beaten Michigan in its last outing.
Messiah Thompson scored a team-high eight points for Long Beach State, while AJ George and Lassina Traore each scored eight. Traore also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, as the Redbirds held LBSU leading scorer Marcus Tsohonis – who came in averaging 22.8 points per game – to just five points in the contest.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 1 Malachi Poindexter, 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Myles Foster, 10 Darius Burford, 12 Brandon Lieb
- This is the second time this group has been in the starting lineup together.
- The starting lineup jersey total (30) is the sixth-lowest by a Redbird team since 1991-92
- The Redbirds won the opening tip
- The first points of the game came from Malachi Poindexter on a three-pointer with 19:18 to play in the first half.
- The first sub for Illinois State was Kendall Lewis with 14:15 to play in the first half.
- Illinois State led 32-24 at halftime.
- The game was Illinois State's first on-site MTE (Multi-Team Event) win since November 20, 2018 against Boise State at the Cayman Islands Classic, and the first time the team has won the opening game of a MTE since November 16, 2017 against South Carolina in Myrtle Beach at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach.
- The game was ISU's first win in its Red uniform set since December 11, 2021 at Chicago State.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Malachi Poindexter
- With his two three-pointers against Long Beach State, he has made at least two three-pointers in three of the team's four games this season.
- Tied a season-high with two assists.
- Dalton Banks
- Reached double-figure scoring for the fourth time in as many games.
- Grabbed a career-high six steals
- The six steals are tied for the ninth-most in a game in the NCAA this season
- The six steals are tied for the seventh-most in a game in Illinois State basketball history
- His five rebounds are a season-high
- Myles Foster
- Pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds for his first double-digit rebounding game of the season
- His rebound total has increased every game this season.
- Darius Burford
- Gave out a season-high two assists while grabbing two steals, also a season-high.
- Johnny Kinziger
- Scored in double-figures for his second consecutive game.
- Made two three-pointers for the second time in his college career.
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