MURRAY, Ky. – Trailing by 15 with 13:39 to play in the game, the Illinois State Redbirds out-scored Murray State 28-11 from that point on to secure a 61-59 win on Tuesday evening, ISU's first win at CFSB Arena, and ISU's first season sweep of the Racers.
Four Redbirds hit double-figure scoring, led by Chase Walker's 12, while Kendall Lewis and Darius Burford each scored 11 and Myles Foster 10 to go with his game-high 12 rebounds. Lewis also pulled down eight rebounds, with the 'Birds out-rebounding Murray State 38-to-21 in the victory.
Three ISU players: Lewis, Dalton Banks, and Darius Burford each have a pair of assists, while Banks had a game-high three steals in the win. The Redbirds made 14-of-16 free throws in the game, 21-of-47 shots from the field (44.7%) and 5-of-17 (29.4%) from beyond the arc.
The Redbirds return home on Saturday, February 3 when ISU hosts its I-74 rival Bradley in a 1 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
The first half saw six lead changes, with the largest margin for either team sitting at four points, as each team held a four-point lead at some point of the opening period. A pair of Lewis free throws tied the teams at 24 before the hosts scored the final two points of the opening half to take a two-point, 26-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Murray State came out firing out of the locker room, extending themselves to a 15-point, 48-33 lead with 13:39 remaining in the game. ISU immediately fought back, using a 12-0 run to climb within three at 48-45. Murray stretched its lead back up to seven with 4:09 to play; however, ISU answered with a 10-0 run – six of the points coming from Burford – to take a three-point lead, and held on for the two-point, 61-59 victory.
Murray State was led by Quincy Anderson who scored 16 points, while Nick Ellington and JaCobi Wood each scored 13.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Myles Foster, 5 Jordan Davis, 10 Darius Burford, and 22 Kendall Lewis
- This is the fourth time this season that this lineup has been used to open a game
- Murray State won the opening tip
- The first Illinois State points of the game came from Myles Foster with a lay-in with 19:17 to play in the first half
- Foster has scored the first points of the game eight times for the Redbirds this season
- The first subs for Illinois State were Luke Kasubke, Johnny Kinziger, and Chase Walker with 14:28 to play in the first half
- Murray State led 26-24 at halftime
- Illinois State sweeps the season series with Murray State, and wins for the first time in Murray, Kentucky
- The game was the fourth by ISU against a school from Kentucky
- That is the most in a season in program history
- ISU went 3-1 against schools inside the state of Kentucky with wins over Murray State (twice), and Northern Kentucky, with a loss to nationally-ranked Kentucky
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Dalton Banks
- Has started all 22 games for the Redbirds this season, and 37 games during his career
- Myles Foster
- Has started 21 of the team's 22 games this season, and has 55 career starts in 108 games played
- Reached double-figure scoring for the fourth straight game and 13th time this season
- Pulled down double-digit rebounds for the fifth time this season
- The double-double was his fourth of the season
- Jordan Davis
- Made his fifth start of the season for the Redbirds, and 23rd start of his collegiate career
- Darius Burford
- Started his 19th game of the season, and 89th game of his collegiate career
- Kendall Lewis
- Started his 16th game of the season, and 100th of his collegiate career
- Reached double-figure scoring for the sixth time this season and 48th of his collegiate career
- Chase Walker
- Reached a career-high in scoring
- Scored in double-figures for the first time in his collegiate career
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