NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Redbirds missed their first 10 shots from the field and could not overcome the early deficit, falling to the Norfolk State Spartans by a 64-58 final score on Saturday evening in front of 3,788 fans inside legendary Horton Field House.
ISU freshman Johnny Kinziger scored a team-high 13 points for the Redbirds, leading four players in double-figure scoring by making 4-of-7 three-point field goals. Myles Foster record his first Redbird double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Darius Burford scored 11 points while pulling down five boards. Dalton Banks once again reached the double-figure plateau with 10 points while pulling down six rebounds and giving out four assists.
Illinois State takes the week off for finals, before returning to action on Sunday, December 17 at home against North Dakota State in a 3 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
The Redbirds out-rebounded the Spartans 42-to-33 in the game, while making 21-of-29 from the charity stripe and 10 assists.
Illinois State got free throws but no baskets over the first 10 minutes of the game, and the hosts trailed by a dozen at 15-3 before ISU rallied with eight straight points, five from Foster and three from Banks to put the margin back at four points three minutes later. Over the remainder of the half the lead fluctuated between eight and three, with a Brandon Lieb layup with five seconds left in the half closing the gap to five at 27-22 heading into the locker room at halftime.
ISU trimmed the lead to as few as one early in the second half, but could not overcome the initial deficit, closing to within two points on Kinziger's third three-pointer in as many possessions; however, the Spartans iced the game at the free throw stripe in the six-point NSU win.
Norfolk State guard Jamarii Thomas scored a career-high 31 points, including making 15 of his 17 tries from the free throw line while also dishing out four assists and grabbing six rebounds.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 1 Malachi Poindexter, 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Myles Foster, 10 Darius Burford, 22 Kendall Lewis
- This is the fourth consecutive game that this lineup has been used this season.
- Norfolk State won the opening tip
- The first points of the game came from Kendall Lewis on a free throw with 18:17 to play in the first half
- The first sub for Illinois State was Ty Pence with 16:13 to play in the first half.
- Norfolk State led 27-22 at halftime
- Illinois State continues to lead the all-time series between the teams 2-1.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Dalton Banks
- Scored in double-figures for the third time in his last four games, for the sixth time this season and 18th time in his career.
- Led the team in assists for the eighth time this season and for the third consecutive game.
- Tied a season-high with six rebounds.
- Myles Foster
- Had the first double-double of his Redbird career with 11 points and a season-high-tying 10 rebounds.
- Tied a career-high with nine made free throws on 12 attempts.
- Darius Burford
- Reached double-figure scoring with 11 points, while adding five rebounds.
- It was his fourth consecutive game in double-figure scoring, sixth time this season, and 56th time in his career.
- Johnny Kinziger
- Scored 13 points – one off his career-high – while making a career-high four three-point baskets.
- The four three-point baskets are tied for the 11th-most by a freshman in a game in school history.
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