By Illinois State Sports and Information
PEORIA – The Illinois State men’s basketball team led for all but three minutes Wednesday night at Bradley and survived a late Braves rally to snap a three-game Missouri Valley Conference losing streak, winning 55-52.
The Redbirds (10-10, 4-3 MVC) overcame 34 percent shooting by outrebounding Bradley, including a career-high 15 from Deontae Hawkins. Paris Lee led all scorers with 16 while DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell chipped in with 15. Hawkins also added nine points.
Both teams started slow with Bradley holding a 6-4 lead at the first media timeout. The Redbirds went 2-for-8 to start the game, but Akoon-Purcell drained a three-pointer with 13 minutes to play to give ISU an 8-6 lead. It was ISU’s first basket outside the paint and the Redbirds would never trail again. However, both teams continued to struggle to find a rhythm, combining to shoot 6-for-20 while committing eight turnovers in the first nine minutes.
While Bradley continued to struggle from the field, Akoon-Purcell took over for ISU. The senior scored nine of ISU’s first 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting. After a timeout, the rest of the Redbirds found their offense as Hawkins and Lee each scored to push ISU’s lead to 11 with 6:30 to play in the half.
The tide turned following Lee’s layup, though, as Bradley closed the final six minutes of the half on a 13-6 run. The Redbirds went to the locker room leading, 27-23. Akoon-Purcell, Hawkins and Lee combined for 24 of ISU’s points with Akoon-Purcell and Hawkins leading the way at nine apiece.
ISU opened the second half on a 7-2 run to extend its lead to nine, and after Bradley’s opening basket of the half, the Braves went scoreless for the next 6:30. ISU was unable to extend its lead past 11 during the span, but back-to-back field goals from Lee and Akoon-Purcell pushed the Redbird lead to 14 with 12:24 remaining.
However, Bradley would not let the lead increase anymore and trimmed it down to nine with seven minutes remaining. Out of a timeout, Bradley’s Ronnie Suggs knocked down a pair of free throws and then converted a steal and score to cut the ISU lead to five. The Redbirds responded with three-straight points to push the lead back to eight.
The two teams went back and forth down the stretch, and with 1:40 remaining, a pair of Bradley free throws cut the lead to four. It was the closest the Braves had been since the halftime break. After calling a timeout with 1:05 to play, Bradley was failed to convert a three-point attempt and ISU made a free throw on the other end to push the lead back to five.
Suggs made two free throws with 17 seconds left, but Tony Wills split a pair of his own to make it a two possession game once again. On the ensuing possession, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye took the ball to the hoop and was fouled. He made both free throws to pull Bradley within two. A quick foul was committed and Akoon-Purcell split a pair to put ISU up three.
A last second heave from the Braves was no good and ISU escaped with a 55-52 win to snap its three-game MVC losing streak. Both teams’ benches combined for just 10 points while ISU owned a 12-2 advantage on second chance points.
The Redbirds will be back in action Saturday when they host Northern Iowa at 3 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
