By ISU Sports Information
ST. LOUIS – Illinois State men’s basketball sophomore forward Phil Fayne is the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday.
Fayne’s MVC Newcomer of the Week accolade is the first of his career and the fourth weekly award bestowed upon the Redbird men’s basketball team this season. Paris Lee and MiKyle McIntosh were each previously named MVC Player of the Week.
Fayne averaged a team-best 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game to lead Illinois State to two more Missouri Valley Conference victories, as Fayne and the Redbirds won their 10th-consecutive game and improved to 10-0 in the MVC for the first time in program history. Fayne shot an efficient 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the field while averaging 26.0 minutes per game.
In Illinois State’s victory at Evansville, Fayne recorded his first-career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Fayne shot 6-for-8 from the field, made four free throws and blocked two shots in 26 minutes. After both teams started the game with 3-pointers, Fayne netted a jumper which sparked an 11-0 run, and he later scored a layup to lift ISU ahead, 14-3. Illinois State increased its lead to 20-6 with a Fayne dunk.
Fayne then stopped an 11-0 Evansville run by netting a jumper which started an 8-3 run to push ISU ahead, 28-20. In the second half, after Evansville took its first and only lead of the game, Fayne drew a foul and made both free throws to regain a one-point Redbird advantage. Fayne’s three-point play at the 10:35 mark extended Illinois State’s lead to 53-44, and his rebound followed by a dunk with 8:51 remaining gave the Redbirds a 55-46 advantage en route to a 10-point victory.
In the Redbirds’ win over Indiana State (Jan. 25), Fayne matched a game high with 19 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. He added a career-high nine free throws and also recorded five rebounds with one block in 26 minutes. After both teams made 3-pointers to start the game, Fayne scored seven-straight points to build a 10-3 Redbird lead on a jumper at the 17:07 mark.
With Indiana State leading by four points early in the second half, Fayne collected an offensive rebound and scored a jumper to pull Illinois State within two. His layup at the 14:29 mark then trimmed the Redbirds’ deficit to one point, as Illinois State came back to beat the Sycamores.
In his first year as a Redbird, Fayne is averaging 9.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-best 1.2 blocks per game. Fayne and the Redbirds will try to extend their 11-game winning streak and remain undefeated in the MVC when ISU hosts Northern Iowa Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Redbird rankings
After winning 11-straight games and improving to 10-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time in program history, the Illinois State men’s basketball team (18-4 overall) earned two votes in the AP Top 25 Poll released Monday morning.
The Redbirds were recognized in a national poll for the third-consecutive week after earning one vote in last week’s (Jan. 23, Week 12) AP Top 25 Poll. Before that, ISU garnered one vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll (Jan. 16, Week 11).
Prior to this season, Illinois State had not been recognized in a national poll since garnering three votes in the Dec. 7, 2009 (Week Five) AP Top 25 Poll. The Redbirds also received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll Nov. 30, 2009 (Week Four). Illinois State has not been ranked nationally in the Top-25 since Nov. 18, 1997 when the Redbirds were ranked No. 24.
Illinois State’s NCAA RPI ranks 34th nationally. The Redbirds’ program-best RPI to end a season was 27 in 1997-98.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
