PEORIA, Ill. – The Illinois State and Bradley men's basketball team combined for just 93 points in a rivalry game on Saturday evening inside Carver Arena, with the Braves picking up a narrow 48-45 win – the second-lowest scoring game in the NCAA this season.
Johnny Kinziger scored a team-high 10 points in the loss, as Kendall Lewis and Malachi Poindexter each added seven points in the loss. Myles Foster set a career-high in rebounding with 16 boards, while Lewis grabbed six. The Redbirds out-rebounded Bradley 46-to-39 in the win.
Dalton Banks gave out a game-high four assists with no turnovers, while Lewis had a trio of steals in the loss.
The Redbirds return home on Wednesday, February 28 in the final home game of the 2023-24 season for ISU, as the squad hosts the Missouri State Bears in a 7 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
Neither team led by more than eight points at any time in the game, and the Redbirds led for 21:39 of game-play time. The Redbirds came out strong to start the game, leading 10-2 six and a half minutes into the game; however, Bradley started chipping away at the deficit, eventually taking a one-point lead in the opening stanza, and the teams would go into the locker room knotted at 21 points apiece.
ISU pushed ahead by five early in the second half on a Poindexter three-pointer, but that would be the Redbirds' largest lead of the half. Bradley fought back and took the lead for good with 12:10 to play in the game, and the Braves extended their lead to as many as eight with 7:30 to play in the game. ISU climbed back to within one with 27 seconds left after a Luke Kasubke three-pointer; however the Braves made a pair of free throws and ISU's two attempts at the buzzer were off the mark in the three-point loss.
Bradley was led by Duke Deen who scored a game-high 11 points, while Malevy Leons scored eight. Darius Hannah and Connor Linke each grabbed a team-high-tying eight rebounds for the Braves.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 1 Malachi Poindexter, 3 Dalton Banks, 4 Myles Foster, 11 Johnny Kinziger, and 22 Kendall Lewis
- This is the sixth consecutive game that this lineup has been used to open a game
- Illinois State won the opening tip
- The first Illinois State points of the game came from Johnny Kinziger with a free throw with 19:46 to play in the first half
- Tonight was the first time he scored the team's opening points in a game this season
- The first subs for Illinois State were Luke Kasubke and Jordan Davis with 12:05 to play in the first half
- The teams were tied 21-21 at halftime
- Illinois State out-rebounded Bradley 46-to-39
- The 46 rebounds are a season-high
- ISU out-rebounded its opponent for the 20th time this season, tied for the fourth-most in a season since 1988-89
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Malachi Poindexter
- Made his 22nd start of the season and 47th start of his collegiate career
- Dalton Banks
- Has started all 29 games for the Redbirds this season, and 44 games during his career
- Myles Foster
- Has started 28 of the team's 29 games this season, and has 62 career starts in 115 games played
- Pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds
- Pulled down double-digit rebounds for the ninth time this season and the sixth time in his last 10 games
- Johnny Kinziger
- Made his sixth collegiate start
- Scored in double-figures for the fourth consecutive game, and 11th time this season
- Kendall Lewis
- Started his 23rd game of the season, and 107th of his collegiate career
- Grabbed a season-high three steals
- Chase Walker
- Blocked a career-high two shots
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