ITHACA, N.Y. – Using four players in double-figure scoring, the Illinois State men's basketball team ends the non-conference portion of the schedule with an 8-4 record after picking up an 80-77 win on the road against the Cornell Big Red.
Jack Daugherty scored a team-high 16 points off the bench for the Birds, while Chase Walker scored 14, Landon Wolf 13, and Dalton Banks 10. Ty Pence was just off the double-digit pace with eight points in the game. Walker pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, as ISU out-rebounded the Big Red 31-to-26 in the contest.
Johnny Kinziger dished out a game-high five assists, while adding five points and a pair of rebounds. Banks had four assists and no turnovers in the game, while Walker had a team-high two assists.
ISU (7-4) steps back into conference play on Sunday, December 29, when the Redbirds host the UIC Flames in a 4 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
The Redbirds came out firing in the first half, making 9-of-14 shots from long range (55.2%), as there were six lead changes and five tie scores over the opening 20 minutes of action. Trailing by three four and a half minutes into the game, ISU got three-pointers from Caden Boser and Daugherty, and a jumper from Kinziger to flip the lead upside down, with the Birds leading by five. The margin reached its zenith at seven following Daugherty's four three-pointer of the first half; however, Cornell started chipping away at the lead, making a tip-in at the halftime buzzer to take a 45-43 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Cornell came out of the gate after halftime strong, using a 7-1 run to push the lead to eight, the most for the hosts. Trailing by four with 9:43 to play, ISU ran off a 7-0 run on a pair of Walker baskets and a three-pointer by Jordan Davis to push ahead by three. ISU's late-game lead reached as much as six; however, stayed within a pair of possessions, but could not overcome the full margin in the three-point Redbird win.
The Redbirds made at least half of their shots for the seventh time this season, converting on 27-of-54 (50%) from the field, while making 14-of-26 (53.8%) from beyond the arc and 12-of-18 (66.7%) from the charity stripe. Cornell made 28-of-53 from the field (52.8%), but were held to six makes on 25 attempts (24.0%), the second-lowest make and percentage total of the season for the Big Red.
Cornell was led by AK Okereke and Nazir Williams, as each scored 19 points, while Guy Ragland Jr. scored 12 and Jake Fiegen 10.
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 11th consecutive game the Redbirds have used this lineup
- ISU is 8-3 when using this starting lineup
- The Redbirds won the opening tip
- The first points of the game came from Ty Pence on a three-pointer with 18:29 to play in the first half
- It was the second time he scored ISU's first points of the game this season, both on three-point baskets
- The first subs for Illinois State were Caden Boser and Malachi Poindexter with 16:31 to play in the first half
- Cornell led 45-43 at halftime
- This is the first time the Redbirds have played a member of the Ivy League
- The team's three-point percentage of .538 is the second-highest this season, and the 10th time in 12 games where the team has made 40 percent or better from long distance
- ISU made double-digit three-point field goals for the eighth time in 2024-25
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jack Daugherty
- Made four or more three-pointers in a game for the fifth time this season
- Scored 16 points off the bench, making 5-of-8 shots from the field and 4-of-7 from long range
- He has scored in double-figures five times during his freshman season
- Dalton Banks
- Scored 10 points with four assists in the game
- It was his eighth double-digit scoring game of the season and 33rd of his career
- Landon Wolf
- Scored 13 points, making all three of his three-point tries
- The double-digit scoring game was his fifth of the season and 19th of his college career
- Johnny Kinziger
- Led the team with five assists
- It is the fifth time this season, and 11th of his career, where he has led the team in assists
- Caden Boser
- Tied his career-high with two assists
- Chase Walker
- Scored 14 points, his 11th game this season with double-digit points
- Led the team with seven rebounds for the sixth time this season
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