By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – Illinois State improved to 6-0 – in sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball standings for the first time since 1998 – by beating Wichita State, 76-62, to hand the Shockers their first league loss of the season in front of 9,078 fans Saturday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
With the victory, ISU (14-4, 6-0 MVC) knocked WSU (15-4, 5-1 MVC) out of first in the MVC for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. The Redbirds also won their seventh-straight game and their 15th in a row at home, dating back to last season. Illinois State held Wichita State – a team that came in shooting 47.1 percent – to 22-for-63 (34.9 percent) from the field. Meanwhile, the Redbirds shot 26-for-48 (54.2 percent) from the field, marking ISU’s second-highest shooting effort of the season.
MiKyle McIntosh led five Redbirds who achieved double-digit scoring with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He was joined in double figures by Deontae Hawkins (14), DJ Clayton (11), Keyshawn Evans (10) and Paris Lee (10). Hawkins and Phil Fayne also added eight rebounds. For Wichita State, Darral Willis Jr. and Landry Shamel each netted 14 points.
Lee lifted Illinois State to a 3-0 lead on the Redbirds’ first possession by netting a trifecta from the top of the key. Wichita State tied the game with three Shamet free throws; however, ISU regained the advantage on a Tony Wills 3-pointer. Wills then buried another trifecta to build a 9-5 Redbird lead, and Lee made the score 11-5 at the 15:54 mark with a fastbreak layup sparked by a Fayne steal. The Shockers answered with a 7-0 run to take a 12-10 advantage on Shaquille Morris’ jumper with 13:24 remaining in the first half.
Wichita State extended its lead to 15-13 on a Conner Frankamp 3-pointer. But, McIntosh converted a three-point play to regain the Redbird advantage. Another Frankamp trifecta lifted the Shockers ahead, 20-18, at the 10:59 mark. The teams proceeded to exchange baskets until the Redbirds went on a 13-3 run from 7:56 until a baseline 3-poiner by Evans at the 2:48 mark. Illinois State held the Shockers scoreless for 3:38 during the stretch en route to a 36-27 halftime advantage. ISU limited Wichita State to its second-lowest first-half point total, as the Redbirds shot 13-for-27 (48.1 percent) from the field while holding the Shockers to 10-for-29 (34.5 percent).
Wichita State opened the second half with a an 8-1 run – with all eight points by Markis McDuffie – to cut Illinois State’s lead to 37-35 on a McDuffie 3-pointer at the 17:53 mark. Fayne netted a jumper to stop the run, and the teams exchanged baskets for the next two minutes before the Redbirds went on an 8-3 run to take a 49-42 lead on a Fayne dunk with 10:48 remaining. ISU extended its lead to 54-44 on a Hawkins 3-pointer with a 9:28 to play.
The Shockers answered by manufacturing a 9-2 run – including five points by Shamet – and Wichita State pulled within 56-53 at the 6:14 mark before Lee and Hawkins each drilled 3-pointers to push ISU’s margin to nine points, 62-53, with 5:07 remaining. And, after Wichita State made the score 62-55, McIntosh hit a fade-away 3-pointer which sparked a 7-0 run to give ISU a 69-55 lead on a pair of Lee free throws at the 1:37 mark. Wichita State pulled within 11 points in the final minute, but Illinois State maintained its double-digit lead, and a dunk by McIntosh at the 18-second mark put an exclamation point on ISU’s 76-62 victory.
Illinois State will try to extend its seven-game winning streak and remain undefeated in the MVC when the Redbirds play at Bradley (8-11, 3-3 MVC) in Peoria, Illinois, Wednesday at 8 p.m. The game can be seen live on CBS Sports Network and heard on WJBC 1230-AM. ISU returns to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Saturday, Jan. 21 to host Drake at 7 p.m. Redbird great Doug Collins will be recognized at halftime of Saturday’s game.
