By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State was able to erase a 12-point first-half deficit by ending the first half on a 7-0 run and later another 7-0 run to take a one-point lead with just under eight minutes left in the game, but the strong Loyola squad was able to regroup and pull ahead for good in a 68-61 Rambler victory on Wednesday evening.
How It Happened
Illinois State struck first in the game on a jumper by Phil Fayne – the only second-chance basket of the contest for either team – before the visitors ran off a 10-3 run to take a five-point lead five and a half minutes into the game. The Redbirds fought back and tied the score at 10 on the first of three Isaac Gassman three-pointers on the night. Leading by two, Loyola rattled off 10 straight points to push ahead to a double-digit lead, and led by 12 with 2:18 remaining in the contest. Facing the 12-point deficit, the Redbirds responded with a three-pointer from Keyshawn Evans, two free throws from Milik Yarbrough, and a jumper by David N’Diaye to close the first half on a 7-0 run, and cutting the gap to five at the break.
Loyola scored first out of the break, and led by as many as eight, before the Redbirds began their comeback, and took a one-point lead with 7:58 remaining on the game clock when Fayne was fouled making a lay-in, giving ISU a 46-45 lead. Loyola countered with a 12-2 run to push ahead by nine. Illinois State fought back, closing to within as few as five down the stretch, but could not overcome the full deficit, falling 68-61.
Key Moment
Fayne’s lay-in with 7:58 to play in the game gave Illinois State its first lead since the early portions of the game.
Inside the Box Score
- Fayne scored 14 points to tie for the high-mark in the game, making 6-of-8 shots from the field while pulling down three rebounds.
- Yarbrough scored 13 points with a game-high eight assists and pulled down four rebounds – tied for the most on the team.
- Evans scored 11 points, making 4-of-12 shots from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
- Gassman topped his previous career-high by scoring 11 points, including making 3-of-4 shots from long range. He also added two steals and two rebounds. His previous career-high was eight set against Drake.
- Despite the loss, the Redbirds remain in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, one game off of the lead. Drake remains at the top of the standings, now at 4-1, while Illinois State, Loyola, Bradley, Missouri State, and Indiana State are in a five-way tie for second place in the league standings. Three other schools – Evansville, Valparaiso, and Southern Illinois – are one game behind the five-school second-place pack.
- Illinois State held Loyola to just four offensive rebounds in the game, the second-lowest total for the Redbirds this season, second only to the three the team gave up at Evansville to open MVC play.
Stat of the Game
3: Between the two teams there were just three combined second-chance points, two coming on the first basket of the game. In all there were 11 offensive rebounds between the two teams, including four by Loyola.
What’s Next
The Redbirds take to the road on Saturday, Jan. 13, when the team travels to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on the Salukis of Southern Illinois in a 5 p.m. contest broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
