NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's basketball team put four players in double-figure scoring, and seven players with at least six points, as the hosts made 11 three-pointers en route to cruising to a 75-56 season-opening win.
Malachi Poindexter scored a team-high 16 points, making 6-of-10 shots from the field with a career-best seven rebounds, while Myles Foster – in his Redbird debut – scored 13 points with six rebounds and two assists. Darius Burford scored a dozen points off the bench, while Dalton Banks – also in his first game in a Redbird uniform – scored 10 points with a game-high six assists while adding four rebounds.
ISU out-rebounded Lourdes 43-to-33 in the game, while dishing out 19 total assists. ISU made 46.6 percent of its shots in the game (27-of-58) and was 11-of-29 (37.9%) from beyond the arc. The 'Birds held Lourdes to 36.4 percent shooting (20-of-55), and 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from long range.
The Redbirds return to action on Saturday, November 11 when the squad travels to St. Louis to take on the Saint Louis Billikens in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
The teams battled through the first 13 minutes of the game, with Lourdes holding a one-point, 22-21 lead with 7:23 to play in the first half; however, ISU responded by out-scoring Lourdes 17-7 over the final seven minutes to take a nine-point, 38-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Illinois State opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers from Lieb and Luke Kasubke to stretch the lead to 15 and the margin never hit single digits again in the contest. The Redbird advantage reached as many as 21 and settled at the final margin of 19.
Jackie Harris scored a game-high 19 points for Lourdes, while Shaunn Monroe scored 13.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 0 Luke Kasubke, 1 Malachi Poindexter, 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Myles Foster, 12 Brandon Lieb.
- This is the first time this group has been in the starting lineup together.
- The starting lineup cumulative jersey total of 20 is the lowest since before 2010-11 (previous low was 23 from 0 DJ Horne, 2 Zach Copeland, 3 Ricky Torres, 5 Keith Fisher III, 13 Rey Idowu)
- The Redbirds won the opening tip
- The first points of the season came from Malachi Poindexter on a jumper with 18:12 to play in the first half.
- The first sub off the bench for Illinois State was Darius Burford with 15:33 to play in the first half.
- Illinois State led 38-29 at halftime.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- The game is the first game as a Redbird for Ty Pence, Dalton Banks, Myles Foster, Jordan Davis, Johnny Kinziger, Brandon Lieb
- Malachi Poindexter
- Scored in double-figures for the 14th time in his Redbird career
- Pulled down a career-high seven rebounds
- Ty Pence
- Dalton Banks
- Scored in double-figures for the first time as a Redbird and 12th time in his career.
- Myles Foster
- Scored double-figure points for the 29th time in his career
- Jordan Davis
- Scored nine points in his Redbird debut, making 3-of-7 shots from long range.
- Tied his career-high with two assists and one blocked shot.
- Darius Burford
- Scored his 1,000th career-collegiate point in the first half.
- Scored 12 points off the bench for his 50th game scoring in double-figures
- Johnny Kinziger
- Made his Illinois State debut.
- Brandon Lieb
- Scored a career-high six points with a career-high seven rebounds
- Made his first collegiate three-point basket.
- His three blocked shots are a new career-high
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