By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – By dishing out a career-high 11 assists and scoring the final four points of the game, Paris Lee led Illinois State men’s basketball to a 79-74 victory over New Mexico on Saturday night as part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.
With three consecutive wins, the Redbirds improve to 4-2 while the Lobos dip to 5-3 overall.
Lee matched a season-high 18 points with five rebounds in his standout game. Lee’s 11 assists made him the first Redbird with double-digit assists since 2012.
Deontae Hawkins and Keyshawn Evans tacked on double-figure scoring efforts with 14 and 12, respectively. Phil Fayne collected a career-high 10 rebounds to aid in the Redbirds’ defensive efforts.
The Lobos’ Elijah Brown notched a team-high 21 points with Damien Jefferson’s 12 buckets putting him in double figures while Joe Furstinger posted 11 boards. Illinois State shot 26-for-61 (42.6 percent) from the field and 14-for-35 (40 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Lobos shot 26-for-57 (45.6 percent) from the field.
New Mexico jumped out to a 9-3 lead, but Illinois State answered with a 7-3 run to pull within 9-8 at the 15:32 mark. A 3-point basket by Lee lifted the Redbirds within two, 18-16, and Hawkins gave the Redbirds their first lead of the game with another three to put ISU up, 19-18, at the 11:44 mark.
After New Mexico regained the lead, a Madison Williams 3-pointer from the left wing tied the game, 22-all with 9:19 remaining in the half. Back-to-back Evans trifectas lifted the Redbirds ahead by three points, 28-25, at the 7:40 mark. The Redbirds and Lobos traded baskets to end the half, with the Lobos’ leading 45-42.
New Mexico scored the first four points of the second half, but Illinois State responded with a 7-0 run to take a 50-49 lead on a MiKyle McIntosh three-point play at the 16:22 mark. The teams again exchanged baskets before another Evans 3-pointer from the top of the key lifted ISU ahead, 62-57, at the 9:13 mark. Back-to-back Williams’ layups got the crowd of 6,056 on its feet and pushed the Redbird advantage to 59-66 with 7:17 remaining. A Lee 3-pointer extended ISU’s margin to 71-63 with less than six minutes remaining.
New Mexico answered with a 10-1 run to cut Illinois State’s lead to 75-74 on a Brown 3-pointer at the one-minute mark. However, a Lee jumper with 31 seconds remaining pushed Illinois State ahead, 77-74. Lee sealed the victory with a perfect 2-for-2 outing at the line to clinch the 79-74 win.
Next up, Illinois State travels to Tulsa Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It can be seen on ESPN3 and heard on WJBC 1230-AM.
