DES MOINES, Iowa – The Illinois State Redbirds fell behind 8-0 to the Drake Bulldogs over the opening three minutes of the game and could not recover, falling in the 2024 opener by an 86-71 final score at the Knapp Center on Tuesday evening.
Darius Burford scored a team-high 14 points for the Redbirds, making 6-of-13 shots from the field, while Malachi Poindexter also reached double-figure scoring with 11. All 11 ISU players that saw action reached the scoring column in the game with at least three points each. Brandon Lieb pulled down a team-best six rebounds – three of those coming on the offensive end – while Poindexter gave out a team-best three assists.
The Redbirds, now 8-6 on the year and 2-1 in the MVC, host Southern Illinois on Saturday, January 6 in a 6 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
The Bulldogs made three of their first four shots in jumping out to the eight-point advantage, before the Redbirds answered back with four straight points on a Myles Foster free throw and a Johnny Kinziger three-pointer, closing the gap to four. The ISU deficit was trimmed to two with 12:59 to play following a Burford lay-in; however, the hosts followed by scoring the proceeding 17 points to streak ahead to a 19-point lead. The Redbirds immediately responded with an 11-0 run of their own to close the gap to eight and got as close as seven before the hosts closed the half strong, taking a 19-point, 47-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After a three-point play by Foster to open the scoring in the second half, Drake scored the next dozen points, before cruising to the 17-point win.
Drake was led by reigning MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries who scored 22 points, as Atin Wright scored 21 and Conor Enright 10.
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 eighth consecutive game that this lineup has been used this season.
- Illinois State won the opening tip
- The first Illinois State points of the game came from Myles Foster with a free throw with 16:21 to play in the first half
- The first sub for Illinois State was Johnny Kinziger with 16:56 to play in the first half.
- Drake led 47-28 at halftime
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Malachi Poindexter
- Scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game, and sixth time this season
- Ty Pence
- Made his first collegiate three-point basket in the second half
- Darius Burford
- Reached double-figure scoring for the eighth consecutive game, the 10th time this season and 60th time of his collegiate career
- Ryan Schmitt
- Scored a season-high six points on a career-high two three-pointers
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