Illinois State sophomore guard Paris Lee scored nine points, had four rebounds, and two assists to lead the Redbirds to a 68-43 win over IPFW. (goredbirds.com)
By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's basketball team never trailed in a wire-to-wire win over IPFW Monday night at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds won by a score of 68-43.
Illinois State (7-4) had three players score in double figures, with Daishon Knight leading the way with 12 points. MiKyle McIntosh and Bobby Hunter added 10 and 11 points, respectively, while Tony Wills chipped in eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Paris Lee added nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Redbirds shot out to a 9-1 lead behind three baskets from McIntosh and a 3-pointer from Knight. IPFW (6-5) closed to within four points at 14-10, but layups from Lee, Will Ransom and Knight gave the Redbirds a double-digit lead at 20-10.
The Redbirds later used a 9-0 run, featuring a pair of Hunter 3-pointers, to take a 33-14 lead. Knight scored the final four points of the half for the Redbirds, who took a 20-point cushion into the break at 37-17.
Illinois State shot 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from the field and 27.2 percent (3-of-11) from the foul line in the first half, while holding a 24-17 edge in rebounding.
The Redbirds carried their first-half momentum into the second half and used an 11-point surge, capped by a John Jones layup, to increase their lead to 52-21 with 14:04 to play. The 31-point lead was the team's biggest lead of the game and is its biggest lead of the 2014-15 season to date.
The Mastodons used a 7-1 rally to cut the ISU lead to 20 points, at 60-40, but never came closer than that the rest of the way.
Illinois State shot 44.4 percent (28-of-63) from the field, 25 percent (5-of-20) from behind the arc and 43.8 percent (7-16) from the foul stripe for the game.
The Redbirds held advantages in rebounding (43-34), points in the paint (36-22) and second-chance points (13-7) over IPFW.
ISU returns to action next Monday, Dec. 29, when they host Quincy at 6 p.m. at Redbird Arena.
Post game interviews with senior walk-on James Stawarz and head coach Dan Muller can be found here.
