DES MOINES, Iowa – Despite four players reaching double-figure scoring, the Illinois State men's basketball team fell in a battle with the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday evening inside the Knapp Center, falling 66-62 in the MVC Contest.
Chase Walker scored a team-high 20 points, making 8-of-12 shots from the field and was 4-of-5 from the charity stripe in the game. Dalton Banks scored 13 points off the bench for ISU, while Landon Wolf scored 12 and Johnny Kinziger 11. Walker pulled down a team-high four rebounds in the game.
Four players – Malachi Poindexter, Wolf, Ty Pence, and Banks – each dished out two assists to lead the team, while Wolf and Kinziger each grabbed two steals.
ISU opens a two-game homestand on Saturday afternoon, when the Redbirds host the Missouri State Bears in a 4 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
Drake ran out and scored the first five points of the game, and never trailed in the contest. An 8-0 run by the hosts pushed a six-point ISU deficit to 14 before the Birds started fighting back, using a pair of 6-0 runs to cut the gap to five, and the lead was cut to four at 34-30 heading into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half ISU cut the deficit to as few as two on four occasions, including with 50 seconds left in the game after Walker scored his final two points; however, Drake made all four of their free throws down the stretch, before Banks closed the game with a jumper as time expired to give the game its 66-62 final score.
ISU had its eighth game with single-digit turnovers, as the Birds gave up just six turnovers with 10 assists. Illinois State made half of their 48 shots from the field and went 6-of-21 (28.6%) from long range, while making 8-of-11 free throws.
Drake got 43 of the team's 66 points from two players, as Daniel Abreu scored a game-high 23 while Bennett Stirtz scored 20 with a game-high eight assists.
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois State used a starting lineup of 1 Malachi Poindexter, 4 Landon Wolf, 11 Johnny Kinziger, 22 Ty Pence, and 35 Chase Walker
- It was the first time this season ISU has used this starting lineup, and the sixth different starting lineup used this season by ISU
- The Bulldogs won the opening tip
- The first points of the game came from Johnny Kinziger on a lay-up with 16:41 to play in the first half
- It was the sixth time he scored ISU's first points of the game this season, second- most on the team
- The first sub for Illinois State was Caden Boser with 17:50 to play in the first half
- Drake led 34-30 at the half
- Illinois State had its eighth game this season with single-digit turnovers, and the 14th game this season with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio
- The Redbirds got out-rebounded, snapping a three-game stretch of out-rebounding its opponent, and just the seventh time the team has been out-rebounded this season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Dalton Banks
- Scored in double-figures for the ninth time this season, and 34th time in his career
- Landon Wolf
- Reached double-figures in the scoring column for the sixth time this season and 20th of his career
- Has scored in double-figures in all three games he has played in the Knapp Center during his career
- Johnny Kinziger
- Scored 10+ points for the 14th time this season and 27th time over his career
- Chase Walker
- Has double-figure points for the 13th time this season and 14th of his career
- The game was his second consecutive 20+ point scoring game, and his fourth of the season
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