By ISU sports information
The Madrid All-Stars made two free throws in the final 25 seconds while also holding Illinois State scoreless, and ISU fell, 89-87, in the Redbirds’ second of four exhibition games Tuesday night. ISU is now 1-1 on its trip to Spain.
With Illinois State leading, 37-20, at the 8:05 mark in the first half, Quintin Brewer threw down a powerful fast-break dunk that broke the rim, forcing a 30-minute delay as a new basket was wheeled in and set up. Once play resumed, the Madrid All-Stars – made up of first and second-team Spanish professionals – outscored ISU, 21-15, to pull within 52-41 at halftime.
“We had the break in play, and we didn’t come back out ready to go. We were playing against a bunch of good players with some pride, and they just chipped away,” head coach Dan Muller said. “This is a great learning lesson in August instead of November. Trust me, I’m not saying I’m glad we lost, but you can learn a lot, no matter what.”
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell led five Redbirds in double-figures with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Banyard also scored 17 points and added five boards.
MiKyle McIntosh netted a 3-pointer to start the game. However, the Madrid All-Stars answered with five-straight points to take their first lead. Later, with 1:43 left in the first quarter, Deontae Hawkins’ 3-pointer tied the game, 20-20. A 3-pointer by Elvis Harvey lifted the Redbirds back in front, and Akoon-Purcell’s slam dunk extended the score to 25-20. Matt Hein’s jumper in the lane at the buzzer gave ISU a 31-20 lead to end the first quarter.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Brewer’s rim-busting dunk led to a 30-minute stoppage of play. ISU went on to lead by as many as 19 points before the Madrid All-Stars rallied to pull within 43-38 at the 1:30 mark in the first half. Roland Griffin stopped the scoring streak by securing an offensive rebound and then converting a three-point play.
Illinois State led, 52-41, at halftime, and Paris Lee’s basketball to open the third quarter reestablished a 13-point advantage. By the end of the third quarter, the Madrid All-Stars were within 71-68, and they tied the score at 73 points apiece at the 7:20 mark. The Madrid All-Stars then took the lead, 76-75, with 6:03 remaining.
With less than one minute to play, Akoon-Purcell forced a steal and passed ahead to Hawkins who dunked to once again tie the game, 85-85. After the Madrid All-Stars answered with a basket, Banyard scored on a backdoor layup, making the score 87-87, with 25.8 remaining.
Ultimately, the game was decided by free throws, with the Madrid All-Stars going 2-for-6 and ISU going 0-for-4 in the final 25 seconds. Illinois State’s last free throw attempt by Akoon-Purcell with 3.3 seconds remaining was purposely missed in an attempt to rebound and score a field goal. However, the Madrid All-Stars secured the rebound and the victory.
Illinois State will now travel to Barcelona, Spain, to play the Barcelona Basketball Academy Thursday, followed by a game against the AEC Colleblanc Basketball Club in Barcelona Saturday. For continuous coverage of the Illinois State men’s basketball team’s trip to Spain, including game and travel recaps, photo galleries and more, visit GoRedbirds.com.
Madrid All-Stars 89, Illinois State 87 Stats
*Akoon-Purcell: 17 points, 11 rebounds
*Banyard: 17 points, 5 rebounds
Hawkins: 12 points, 2 rebounds (fouled out)
Griffin: 11 points, 6 rebounds
*McIntosh: 10 points, 6 rebounds
*Lee: 8 points, 2 rebounds
McCloud: 5 points, 1 rebound
Harvey: 3 points, 1 rebound
Brewer: 2 points, 4 rebounds
Hein: 2 points, 0 rebounds
Evans: 0 points, 1 rebound
*Wills: 0 points, 1 rebound (fouled out)
*Indicates Starter
