By Austin Duncan
NORMAL, Ill – Over 7,000 fans witnessed the Redbirds hot shooting and stout second half defense en route to Illinois State’s second straight Missouri Valley win over Northern Iowa 76-67 on Retro Day at Redbird Arena.
Both teams struggled to score its initial points, but Northern Iowa got on the board first on a 3-pointer by Paul Jesperson at the 18:07 mark of the first half. That would spark a 10-4 run for Northern Iowa which was halted by a layup by Illinois State’s Paris Lee.
The Redbirds then turned to its sharp-shooter Justin McCloud who has been in a slump over the past several games. Illinois State hit four straight 3-pointers including three from McCloud, and one for Devaughn Akoon-Purcell which gave the Redbirds a 18-17 lead with 11:35 to play in the first half.
A 3-pointer by Illinois State’s Tony Wills gave the Redbirds its largest lead of the half at 31-25 with 5:56 remaining in the half.
Northern Iowa’s Jeremy Morgan made a layup with just 13 second to play in the half to give the Redbirds a 40-38 lead over Northern Iowa at halftime.
The Redbirds picked up where it left off in the first half, making two 3-pointers to start the half to take a 46-43 lead with 15:28 to play in the game.
The Panthers missed 13 shots in a row, allowing the Redbirds to go on a 15-4 run giving ISU a 61-49 with just under seven minutes remaining. All four of UNI’s points game from the free throw line during that stretch.
Illinois State expanded its second half lead to 16 on three occasions before UNI made shots late in the game to cut the deficit to just nine.
The Redbirds were paced by Mikyle McIntosh’s 18 points, who fouled out with 2:40 remaining. Paris Lee added 16 points, while Justin McCloud made five of six 3-point attempts, finishing with 15 points, tying his career-high. Lee had a game-high six assists, while Tony Wills added four. Quintin Brewer collected a team-high seven rebounds. ISU made 16 of 19 free throw attempts.
Northern Iowa had three players do the bulk of its scoring. Wes Washpun finished with 23 points, while Paul Jesperson and Matt Bohannon added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Jeremy Morgan collected eight rebounds. Washpun also added six assists.
This marks the first time in eight seasons, Northern Iowa has lost four consecutive MVC games. The Redbird’s 76 points were also the most allowed by the Panthers in MVC play.
Illinois State improves to 5-3 in the MVC and 11-10 on the season.
The Redbirds return to action Tuesday when it plays host to Drake at Redbird Arena. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. Redbird Preview will begin at 6 p.m.
Listen to postgame comments from head coach Dan Muller here.
Listen to postgame comments from Justin McCloud here.
