OXFORD, Miss. – With three starters fouled out late in the second half, Illinois State out-scored Ole Miss 14-to-10 in the overtime period, holding on for a 101-97 victory.
How It Happened
Ole Miss jumped out quickly, leading 6-2 through the first two minutes of the game before the Redbirds opened a 15-3 run over the next four minutes, pushing ahead to an eight-point lead. The lead was pushed to as many as 18 in the half after a Keyshawn Evans three-pointer with 6:48 to play in the half. Ole Miss chipped away at the Redbird lead, as Illinois State took a 43-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Illinois State pushed its lead back to 15 in the second half after a Milik Yarbrough three-point play with 16:11 to play in regulation. The Rebels kept pushing, and took its first lead since the early portions of the game with 3:01 to play. The Rebels led by as many as four at 84-80 with 2:21 to play in the game, before ISU fought back, and used a three-pointer from Isaac Gassman to tie the game at 85 with 1:44 to play. Evans made two free throws to take a two-point lead 20 seconds later; however, Ole Miss drained two free throws with 38 seconds to play to send the game to an overtime period.
In overtime Evans drained a three-pointer 15 seconds in, and Gassman a free throw to lead by four, and the Redbirds never trailed in the extra period.
Key Moment
An offensive rebound and drawn foul by Matt Hein with 12 seconds to play put the sophomore on the line, where he made 1-of-2 free throws to secure the win over the SEC opponent.
Inside the Box Score
- Yarbrough scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists. He made 8-of-17 shots from the field, and all nine of his free throw tries.
- Evans hit 5-of-11 three-point field goals, and 6-of-16 overall in scoring 25 points for the Redbirds. He also added seven assists in the game.
- Phil Fayne had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, his second of the season. He made 6-of-12 shots from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
- Madison Williams scored 14 points, making 3-of-6 from long range.
- Illinois State out-rebounded Ole Miss 49-to-41, and had 20 assists against just 15 turnovers.
Stat of the Game
25, 10, and 8, in 27: Milik Yarbrough’s line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists was even more impressive considering he did it in just 27 minutes of action.
What’s Next
Illinois State returns home on Tuesday, December 19, when the team plays host to the UIC Flames in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
