By: WJBC Staff
NORMAL, Ill. – Senior guard Paris Lee scored a career-high 24 points to lead four Redbirds in double figures, as Illinois State beat Atlantic 10 Conference foe Saint Joseph’s, 81-72, Sunday afternoon on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU finished its nonconference home schedule with a perfect 6-0 record for the first time since 2008-09.
Lee shot 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the field, 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 (100 percent) at the free throw line. He also dished four assists with one turnover and forced three steals with four rebounds. Deontae Hawkins collected a game-high eight rebounds and added 21 points. For Saint Joseph’s, Shavar Newkirk scored a team-high 21 points.
As a team, Illinois State shot 31-for-66 (47.0 percent) from the field and 9-for-20 (45.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Saint Joseph’s shot 23-for-55 (41.8 percent) from the field and 8-for-25 (32.0 percent) from three-point range. The Redbirds out rebounded the Hawks, 37-32, and ISU scored 22 points off of 14 SJU turnovers.
Lee continued his hot three-point shooting by burying a trifecta to start the game. Saint Joseph’s responded with four-straight points to briefly take the lead. The Redbirds then blocked back-to-back SJU shots and took a 5-4 advantage on a Phil Fayne layup which sparked a 14-2 run to push Illinois State ahead, 17-6, on a Hawkins 3-pointer at the 11:04 mark.
After Saint Joseph’s pulled within 17-11 with 9:55 remaining in the opening half, the Redbirds proceeded to outscore SJU, 9-2, over the next 2:04 to take a 26-13 lead. The Hawks answered with a 10-4 run to pull within 30-23 on a Charlie Brown 3-pointer at the 3:04 mark. But, Hawkins pushed ISU’s advantage back to double-digits with another trifecta.
The Hawks cut their deficit to 36-26 on a Newkirk layup before Lee banked in a buzzer-beating, 40-foot 3-pointer to lift Illinois State to a 41-27 halftime lead. Lee led all first-half scorers with 12 points as ISU shot 17-for-34 (50.0 percent) from the field and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc marking the third time this season that the Redbird have shot 50 percent of better in the first half.
A MiKyle McIntosh layup to start the second half extended ISU’s lead to 43-27. But, the Hawks outscored Illinois State, 13-2, over the next 6:23 to pull within 45-40 on a Chris Clover jumper with 11:56 remaining. Lee stopped the SJU run by hitting a deep 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer, which sparked a 12-5 Redbird run to push ISU ahead, 57-45, on a DJ Clayton free throw. Saint Joseph’s pulled within eight points three times within the final eight minutes; however, the Hawks could not get any closer, as Illinois State held off the SJU, 81-72.
Illinois State next travels to the Diamond Head Classic for three games in Honolulu, Hawaii, to conclude nonconference play. The Redbirds will then return to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena to tip off Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday, Dec. 29 versus Evansville at 7 p.m.
