Redbirds to Face Beacons in MVC Battle

VALPARAISO, Ind. -  The Illinois State Redbirds will look to even the season series with the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday evening, as the 'Birds will face off in northwest Indiana against Valpo.

QUICK HITTERS

• There are 39 current NCAA student-athletes who have had at least 20 assists, 20 blocks, and 20 steals,  in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Two of them - Illinois State's Kendall Lewis and Bradley's Malevy Leons - are the only ones in the MVC to have done it in the last two seasons.
• The Redbirds are fourth in NCAA Division I in free throw percentage, making 79.7 percent of their free tries during the season.
• Illinois State senior forward Kendall Lewis is one of eight players in NCAA Division I with at least 22 blocks, 34 assists, 37 steals and 270 points this season.
• Redbird guard Malachi Poindexter has made 48-of-51 free throws this season and is one of just three players in the country to have made 94 percent of their free throws with at least 40 makes.
• Illinois State seventh leading scorer (Liam McChesney) averages 6.7 points per game, which is the second-highest seventh-leading scorer in the MVC this season.
• This season the Redbirds have seven different players who have led the team in scoring, including a seven-game span in which ISU had seven different leading scorers.
• There are 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes who have made 92.5 percent of their free throws in conference play (a minimum of 35 makes. Malachi Poindexter, at 38-of-41 in MVC play, has the eighth-highest percentage among the qualifiers. 
• This season the Illinois State Redbirds have played in four overtime games, which is tied for the fifth-most by a program during the season, trailing only five overtime games from Texas Southern, UCF, and Manhattan, and the six from Idaho State.
• As Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon adjusts his starting lineups to find the proper mix, the Redbirds have seen 11 different starting lineup combinations in 26 games, which is tied for the eighth-most different starting lineups in the country this season.
• Illinois State is 142-125 all-time against schools from the state of Indiana.
• When Illinois State topped Missouri State by 10 in overtime on January 11, it marked the fourth-largest scoring margin in an overtime game in Redbird history.
• Of Illinois State's last eight games on February 11 (including Saturday), seven have come on the road.
• Illinois State graduate student Alex Kotov is one of just six players from Russia, and the only from Moscow currently playing in NCAA Division I. Harouna Sissoko is one of 22 student-athletes from Mali, and is the only one that hails from Kayes, as the majority of Division I student-athletes from the country come from Bamako.

SCOUTING THE BEACONS

Valparaiso enters the Saturday game looking to end its three-game losing skid with losses at Missouri State and Indiana State and a home loss to Drake.

In the team's 84-62 loss at Indiana State, Ben Krikke scored a game-high 22 points, making 10-of-17 shots from the field, while Kobe King added 11 points. Three others - Maximus Nelson, Nick Edwards, and Connor Barrett - scored seven or more points. Nelson pulled down nine rebounds, while King and Darius DeAveiro each dished out three assists.

Krikke's scoring average of 18.7 is third-highest in the MVC this season, and is making 54 percent of his shots from the field and 79 percent from the charity stripe. King averages 16.3 points per game, while Quinton Green averages 10.4. 

Leading the team in rebounding  at 5.8 rebounds per game, Krikke also leads the team in rebounds and 19 blocked shots. Edwards is the team leader with 131 assists and 42 steals, averaging 7.8 points per game.

PUTTING THE FREE IN FREE THROWS

This season, having made 358 of 449 free throws, Illinois State ranks fourth in NCAA Division I in the category. There have been just 21 schools in NCAA Division I history to finish a season with a free throw percentage at .800 or better. The school record for season free throw percentage is .775 from the 2001-02 season and the MVC record is .797 set by Missouri State in 2021-22.

STRONG OVERALL NUMBERS

Later in the notes we talk about how last season ISU forward Kendall Lewis had one of just four total seasons in program history with 30+ blocks, steals, and assists. Lewis is back to his same tricks this season, as he is one of 92 players in the country with at least 20 assists, steals and blocks. Additionally, he is one of just eight players in NCAA Division I with at least 22 blocks, 37 steals, and 34 assists this season, while scoring at least 270 points.

NEAR PERFECTION

This season Illinois State guard Malachi Poindexter has made 48-of-51 tries from the charity stripe. That gives him a percentage of .941, which is the second-highest in the country for student-athletes with at least 40 free throw makes.

AWARD WINNING KNIGHT

Illinois State fifth-year guard Seneca Knight was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week, announced by the conference office on Monday, October 30. Knight averaged 21.5 points per game for Illinois State, as the Redbirds went 1-1 with an overtime loss on the road at rival Bradley on Wednesday before returning and topping MVC-leader Southern Illinois on Sunday. He made 13-of-20 shots for the week (65.0%), was 4-of-5 from long range, and 13-of-15 (86.7%) from the charity stripe, as he also averaged four rebounds on the week with two assists, two blocks, and two steals.

SEVENTH HEAVEN

This season Illinois State has seven different student-athletes averaging near seven points per game and the Redbirds' Liam McChesney has the second-highest scoring average of all the seventh scorers in the conference with a season scoring average of 6.7 points per game (of those who have played in at least half of their team's games).