Senior guard Daishon Knight's 21 points were not enough as the Redbirds fall to Indiana State in overtime. (goredbirds.com)
By ISU Sports Information
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A layup by Indiana State’s Tre’ Bennett with three seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Sycamores past Illinois State, 71-70, Wednesday night in Missouri Valley Conference action at the Hulman Center.
The Redbirds (10-7, 2-3 MVC) overcame a 10-point deficit with 8:23 left in regulation by manufacturing a 15-1 run to take a 56-52 lead at the 4:15 mark.
After Indiana State (9-8, 5-0 MVC) forced overtime, Daishon Knight netted a jumper which pushed Illinois State ahead, 70-69, with 21 seconds remaining. Despite a near-steal by Paris Lee, Bennett managed to score the game-winner, and Indiana State remained undefeated in league play.
Knight scored a game-high 21 points, including seven of the Redbirds’ eight points in overtime. He was joined in double figures by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell who tallied all 11 of his points in the second half. Jake Kitchell led three Sycamores in double figures with 15 points plus seven rebounds.
Illinois State combined to shoot 36.5 percent from the field, and Indiana State shot 38.3 percent. The Redbirds once again owned the game’s rebounding advantage, 46-28.
In a back-and-forth first half which saw 11 lead changes and four ties, Illinois State used a 9-3 run, sparked by a Reggie Lynch dunk at the 8:24 mark, to take a 28-25 advantage on a pair of Knight free throws with 4:01 left to play. Indiana State scored the final four points of the opening stanza to earn a 31-30 halftime advantage.
The Redbirds trailed at intermission for just the third time this season, and Illinois State shot 40.0 percent from the field compared to 41.7 percent by the Sycamores.
Indiana State’s Justin Gant netted the Sycamores’ first two points of the second half, extending their lead to 33-30. However, Illinois State responded with six-straight points to take a 36-33 advantage on two Lee free throws.
The Sycamores answered with a 15-2 run from 13:06 until 8:23, as a Brenton Scott 3-pointer pushed Indiana State ahead, 51-41. The Redbirds then netted seven-unanswered to trim Indiana State’s lead to 51-48 on a Knight 3-pointer from the corner.
An Akoon-Purcell 3-pointer pulled Illinois State within 52-51. He then netted a fastbreak layup to propel the Redbirds ahead, 53-52. Bobby Hunter extended that advantage with another 3-pointer as the Redbirds used a 15-1 run to build a 56-52 lead. A 5-0 Sycamore run allowed Indiana State to regain a one-point advantage at the 2:56 mark. With the game tied, 60-60, the two teams exchanged free throws to send the game into overtime, tied at 62 apiece.
Illinois State and Indiana State again found themselves knotted up, 67-67, with 41 seconds to play in overtime, as Knight scored a layup despite being fouled. He then converted the three-point play to lift the Redbirds ahead by one.
Khristian Smith responded with a jumper at the 29-second mark, and Knight answered by netting a jumper with 21 seconds remaining. Indiana State then had the ball, trailing, 70-69, and a near-steal by Lee forced the Sycamores to call a timeout at the nine-second mark. The Redbird defense nearly forced another turnover in the final seconds, but Indiana State held on, and Bennett managed to score the game-winning layup.
Illinois State finished the contest with Akoon-Purcell, Lynch and MiKyle McIntosh on the bench after each fouling out.
Postgame interviews with Daishon Knight and Dan Muller can be found here.
