MURRAY, Ky. – Chase Walker scored a game-high 21 points, as Illinois State picked up its third win in the last four games, as the Redbirds handed the Murray State Racers their first home loss of the season on Wednesday night by a 70-65 final score at the CFSB Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded jabs back and forth in the game, with Murray State holding a four-point lead at 14-10 through the first six and a half minutes. The Redbirds rallied with six straight, all from Landon Wolf, to take a two-point lead. Murray State re-took the lead – their final of the first half – with 8:47 to play. ISU used a 9-0 run – seven of the points coming from Ty Pence – and the Redbirds took a six-point, 35-29 lead into the locker room at halftime, closing a half with seven ties and nine lead changes.
Murray State climbed back to tie the score four and a half minutes into the second half, and the game remained tied before ISU rolled off its second 9-0 run of the game, extending the lead to nine. The host Racers kept the pressure on, closing the gap to as few as three points, but could get no closer as ISU picked up the big MVC win.
KEY STATISTICS / NOTES
- The Redbirds opened with the starting lineup of 3 Mason Klabo, 4 Landon Wolf, 10 Ty'Reek Coleman, 22 Ty Pence, and 35 Chase Walker
- This is ISU's first time with this starting lineup, and just the fifth starting lineup for the Redbirds this season
- ISU wore its throwback red uniform for the ninth time this season
- Murray State won the opening tip
- ISU's first points of the game came from Mason Klabo on a lay-up with 19:03 on the first half clock
- He has scored the Redbirds' first points of the game twice this season
- Illinois State led 35-29 at halftime
- Chase Walker scored 21 points, his 15th game this season with double-digit points, and 42nd of his career
- He has scored 20+ points five times this season, all within his most recent eight games
- The Columbus, Ohio, native was 8-of-12 shooting from the field, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line
- Ty Pence reached double-figure points for the second consecutive game, and for the 10th time this season, scoring 12 points for the Redbirds
- Scoring 10 points, Mason Klabo reached double-figure points for the fourth time in his collegiate career
- Johnny Kinziger scored 10 points for ISU, his 16th game in double-digit scoring this season
- Landon Moore pulled down a career-high seven rebounds
- Landon Wolf flirted with a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds
- For the fourth consecutive game, and for the 17th time this season, Illinois State has out-rebounded its opponent, 37-to-33 in this game
- The Redbirds shot 50 percent from the field (28-of-56) in the game, while making 38 percent (6-of-16) from beyond the arc
NEXT UP
After closing its two-game road swing, the Redbirds return to CEFCU Arena for three of their next four games, the first coming on Tuesday, February 3 against the Southern Illinois Salukis with a 6 p.m. tip-off.
