Daishon Knight scored 20 points in the victory against Drake Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)
By ISU Sports Information
DES MOINES, Iowa – Daishon Knight reached 20 points for the third-consecutive game to lead Illinois State in a 64-56 Missouri Valley Conference road victory over Drake Tuesday night at the Knapp Center.
Reggie Lynch joined Knight in double-figures with 13 points and a game-best nine rebounds. He also blocked three shots to tie Illinois State’s sophomore blocks record with 48, matching Joe Galvin’s 1977-78 mark. The Redbirds have now won four-of-their-last-five games, including three-straight contests over the last three years in Des Moines, Iowa.
ISU (12-7, 4-3 MVC) shot 50.0 percent from the field compared to Drake’s (4-15, 1-6 MVC) 38.2 percent shooting clip. Illinois State also outrebounded the Bulldogs, 36-30. Gary Ricks Jr., and C.J. Rivers both scored 10 points to lead DU.
Illinois State held Drake to 0-for-5 from the field to start the game before Drake took an 8-4 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers. Bobby Hunter answered with a 3-pointer which sparked a 7-0 run – including a layup and two free throws by Tony Wills – to build an 11-8 Redbird advantage. A 3-pointer by Ore Arogundade lifted the Bulldogs back in front, 15-13, at the 8:18 mark. However, DU’s advantage was short-lived, as Lynch responded with a two-handed rebound-dunk.
After Drake regained the lead, Knight netted back-to-back jumpers, pushing ISU back in front, 19-18. A 7-2 Redbird run, capped by a Hunter 3-pointer, increased Illinois State’s margin to 26-24 with 2:14 remaining in the opening half, and Illinois State outscored DU, 10-5, over the final 4:15 to take a 29-27 halftime advantage. Knight led all scorers with 11 first-half points on 4-for-6 shooting as the Redbirds shot 47.8 percent from the field while holding the Bulldogs to 33.3 percent.
Lynch netted ISU’s first three points of the second half with a layup and a free throw, and Illinois State started the second half on a 7-2 run to build a 36-29 lead at the 17:14 mark. Drake once again answered, this time by outscoring ISU, 8-2, to pull within 38-37 on a Rivers layup with 15:35 to play. Illinois State’s 8-2 run pushed the Redbird advantage to 46-39 at the 12:16 mark.
Drake pulled as close as 46-44 with 9:49 remaining, but ISU responded with a 9-2 run, to establish a 55-46 lead. The Bulldogs trimmed their deficit to seven with 19 seconds to play, but the Redbirds never trailed in the second half and held off Drake, 64-56.
After playing four games in the last 10 days, Illinois State does not play again until Sunday, Jan. 25 when the Redbirds return to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena to host No. 19 Northern Iowa at 3 p.m.
