SAINT THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – The Illinois State Redbirds got 21 points from Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker had 16 points and eight rebounds, as ISU topped American Athletic Conference preseason favorite UAB on Saturday afternoon by an 84-83 final score.
With the win, the Redbirds advance to the fourth-place game at the 2024 Paradise Jam, and will face off against George Washington at 2 p.m. (CT) on Monday, November 25.
Kinziger had his second 20-point scoring game of the season, putting up a game-high 21 points, while Chase Walker had a career-high 16 points. Dalton Banks and Ty Pence each scored 10 points for ISU, giving the Birds four players in double-digit scoring. Jack Daugherty narrowly missed the double-figure plateau with nine points, while Landon Wolf had eight points and Malachi Poindexter seven.
Walker pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for ISU, as the Birds out-rebounded the Blazers 29-to-23 in the contest. Dalton Banks gave out five assists while Kinziger and Pence each had a trio of helpers. Banks, Kinziger, and Pence each nabbed a pair of steals, helping ISU to its first double-digit steal game since the team had 11 against Long Beach State last season.
ISU struck first, scoring the first five points of the game on a Kinziger jumper and a Wolf three-pointer. UAB fought back and used a 7-0 run to take an eight-point lead with 10:57 to play in the first half. The game of runs continued, as the Redbirds came back with a 9-0 run of their own, pushing to a six-point first-half lead. In all, there were six ties and five lead changes between the teams over the opening 20 minutes, as UAB took a 43-39 lead into the locker room at halftime.
UAB led by six with 15 minutes to play in the game before the Redbirds ran off eight consecutive points to take back the lead. ISU kept the lead for the next seven minutes, as the score margin never extended past three points the remainder of the game. With ISU leading by two, UAB's Alejandro Vasquez drained a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to give the Blazers the lead; however, Kinziger was fouled with five seconds left, and the sophomore calmly drained both free tries, securing the Redbird win.
ISU made 56.6 percent of its shots in the game (30-of-53) and 11-of-27 (40.7%) from long range, while also converting on 76.5 percent from the charity stripe (13-of-17). UAB was 31-of-56 from the field (55.4%), 8-of-19 (42.1%) from long range, and 13-of-19 (68.4%) on its free throw tries.
The Blazers were led by Alejandro Vasquez, who scored 19 points off the bench, while Efrem Johnson scored 18 and Yaxel Lendelborg 14. Lendelborg also led the team with seven assists and four rebounds in the game.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Landon Wolf, 11 Johnny Kinziger, 22 Ty Pence, and 35 Chase Walker
- It was the fifth consecutive game the Redbirds have used this lineup.
- The Redbirds are 4-1 when using this lineup.
- The Redbirds won the opening tip
- Illinois State is 2-0 when winning the opening tip
- The first points of the game came from Johnny Kinziger on a pull-up jumper with 19:38 to play in the first half.
- The first subs off the bench for Illinois State were Caden Boser and Malachi Poindexter with 16:02 to play in the first half.
- UAB led 43-39 at halftime
- It was the first time this season that ISU has overcome a halftime deficit
- The Redbirds had a season-high 10 steals, the first time the team has had 10 or more steals in a game since November 20, 2023 against Long Beach State
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jack Daugherty
- Made three of his six three-point attempts this season.
- Dalton Banks
- Reached double-figure scoring for the fourth consecutive game
- Dished out a team-high five assists – the fifth time in six games that he has led the team in assists
- Added a pair of steals, tying for the team lead, the fifth time he has had the lead or shared lead in steals on the team this season
- Landon Wolf
- Set a new season-high with five rebounds
- Johnny Kinziger
- Scored a game-high 21 points, his second 20+-point game of the season, and fifth of his career
- The game was his fifth double-digit scoring game this season, and 18th of his two-year ISU career
- Made 8-of-12 shots from the charity stripe, 2-of-5 from long range, and all three of his free throw attempts
- Picked up a season-high two steals
- Ty Pence
- Scored 10 points for his fifth game of double-digit scoring this season
- Tied his career-high with two steals
- Chase Walker
- Scored a career-high 16 points for the Redbirds, his fifth double-figure scoring game of the season and his sixth of his career
- Pulled down a team-best eight rebounds – the second-most this season in a single game
- Made his first collegiate three-point basket in the first half
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