By: WJBC Staff

NORMAL – Forty minutes was not enough to decide Wednesday night’s game between league undefeated teams Illinois State and Missouri State, as overtime was needed for the Redbirds (11-4, 3-0 MVC) to pull out the 74-71 victory over the Bears (11-5, 2-1 MVC) on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.

With the win, the Redbirds remained undefeated at home (8-0) this season and stayed atop the league standings.  MiKyle McIntosh led the Redbirds with a game-high 21 points and Deontae Hawkins recorded his fourth 20-plus point effort of the season with 20 points against the Bears. Paris Lee recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds

After Missouri State built an early 8-7 lead, Illinois State responded with a 12-2 run – including two Lee 3-pointers – to give ISU a 19-10 advantage at the 11:59 mark. MSU answered by generating a 17-6 run over the next 9:26 to take a 27-24 lead on an Austin Ruder 3-pointer.

Defensively, the Bears held Illinois State without a field goal from 9:57 until 1:17, when Keyshawn Evans broke the drought with a jumper to pull the Redbirds within 30-28 at the 1:16 mark. After exchanging baskets, Missouri State led Illinois State, 34-32, at halftime. McIntosh led all first-half scorers with nine points. The Redbirds shot 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from the field, while Missouri State shot 12-for-31 (38.7 percent).

Missouri State went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to start the second half, but McIntosh and Hawkins both converted three-point plays during the first two minutes of the half to keep the Redbirds within five points. A Phil Fayne dunk followed by a DJ Clayton three-point play tied the score, 43-43, at the 16:49 mark to cap an 8-3 Redbird run.

Evans then broke a 48-48 tie by converting another three-point play which lifted the Redbirds ahead, 51-48, with 14:08 remaining. Three minutes later, a 3-pointer by Jarred Dixon pushed Missouri State back in front. However, Hawkins scored five-straight points with a layup followed by a trifecta to gain a 58-54 Illinois State advantage at the 9:40 mark.

The Redbirds went on to build a 60-56 lead with 4:24 remaining. However, back-to-back Missouri State 3-pointers lifted Missouri State to a 62-60 lead, before Hawkins tied the game with a layup, and McIntosh extended ISU’s advantage to 64-62 with a pair of free throws. Dequon Miller’s layup attempt, which would have tied the game, with 15 seconds remaining was blocked out of bounds by McIntosh.

Following three Missouri State timeouts, Jarrid Rhodes hit a jumper with eight second remaining to tie the game, 64-64, and ultimately, force overtime. Rhodes drilled a 3-pointer to start the extra period, but Illinois State responded with an 8-0 run, including a Lee trifecta, two McIntosh free throws, a McIntosh layup and another McIntosh free throw to take a 72-67 lead. Following a Dixon jumper with 28 seconds remaining, which cut ISU’s lead to three points, McIntosh went 2-for-2 at the free throw line to make the Illinois State advantage 74-69 at the 14-second mark. A jumper by Ruder pulled MSU within 74-71, but ISU held off the Bears in the final 11 seconds to secure the overtime victory.

Next, Illinois State hits the road for two-straight games, starting at Indiana State Saturday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m. in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Redbirds will then travel to Southern Illinois Wednesday, Jan. 11, before returning to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena to host Wichita State Saturday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.