TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Illinois State Redbirds put five players in double-figure scoring, led by a game-high 21 from Chase Walker, as the Redbirds nearly erased a 16-point Indiana State second half lead, falling on the road to the Sycamores by a 94-89 final score.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After seeing the Sycamores score the first four points of the game, the Redbirds came fighting back with eight straight points to lead 8-4 following a Mason Klabo three-pointer with 14:48 to play in the opening half. Indiana State came back with seven consecutive points, as the lead changed hands eight times in the opening stanza. The final lead change came with 10:13 to play, as the hosts caught fire, making 11 consecutive shots, extending the lead to 15, with 4:18 to play in the half; however, the Redbirds closed the gap to nine at 51-42 heading into the break at halftime.
Indiana State's lead grew to its' high point of 16 halfway through the second half; however, the Redbirds fought back, using an 8-1 run to close the gap to single digits. The Redbirds kept chipping away at the deficit, closing the gap to as few as one point with 2:11 to play in the game. The host Sycamores followed by scoring five points in a row to put the lead back to six, before it settled on its final difference of five at the final horn.
KEY STATISTICS / NOTES
- The Redbirds opened with the starting lineup of 10 Ty'Reek Coleman, 11 Johnny Kinziger, 14 Boden Skunberg, 22 Ty Pence, and 35 Chase Walker
- This is ISU's 13th game with this lineup, and this group is now 8-5 this season
- ISU wore its gray uniform for the third time this season  Â
- Illinois State is now 2-1 this season, and 6-3all-time in this uniform set
- Indiana State won the opening tip
- ISU's first points of the game came from Ty'Reek Coleman on a lay-up with 16:23 on the first half clock
- It was the second time this season he scored ISU's first points
- Illinois State's first subs were Mason Klabo and Landon Wolf with 16:22 to play in the first half
- Indiana State led 51-42 at halftime
- With 21 points, Chase Walker reached double-figure scoring for the 12th time this season, and 39th of his career
- He has scored 20+ points in a game three times this season (all in his last four games), and 14 times in his career
- Ty'Reek Coleman scored 18 points, his eighth double-figure scoring game this season
- With his sixth point, a jump shot with 2:58 to play in the first half, Johnny Kinziger became the 47th player in program history to score 1,000 career points as a Redbird
- He scored 11 points for ISU in the game
- By scoring 10 points, Landon Wolf has reached double-digit scoring for the third time this season, all within his last five games
- Boden Skunberg hit the double-figure point plateau with 12 points, his 10th double-digit scoring game this season, and 67th of his collegiate career
- Illinois State had five players reach double-figure scoring for the third time this season, also doing it against Coastal Carolina and most recently against Utah State
- Mason Klabo scored nine points for ISU, making 3-of-4 shots from long range
- Three players – Coleman, Skunberg, and Walker – each pulled down a team-high four rebounds, while Kinziger gave out a team-best three assists
- The Redbirds rebounded after its worst shooting game of the season against UIC, making 31-of-56 from the field (55.4 percent), and the team was 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from long range
NEXT UP
The Redbirds return home for a pair of home contests over the next week, opening on Saturday with an I-74 rivalry game against the Bradley Braves with a 1 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
