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In the first half, the 'Birds
came out full of energy, as they used a 9-0 run over the first 3:30
to gain control. Florida A&M chipped away at the lead and eventually
took their first lead of the ballgame at 7:00, following a 9-0
Rattler run. The 'Birds quickly regained the lead and rebuilt a
nine-point cushion following a 10-0 run fueled by two Guidry 3s and
a pair of Neil Plank buckets.
Kevin Troc saw his first action
of the season the last two minutes of the first half and scored
Illinois State's final three points, giving the Redbirds a 42-32
halftime lead, their biggest advantage of the half.
Guidry led the way in the first half with 15, while Neil Plank added
12. Terrance Woods led the Rattlers with 13 in the first half.
The start of the second half
was delayed by 10 minutes due to problems with the shot clock at the
south end of Redbird Arena, but when play finally began, Illinois
State eventually built their lead to 14 at the 17:50 mark on a
Gregg Alexander jumper.
Rattler head coach Mike
Gillespie was ejected at the 14:05 mark, and within a minute,
Illinois State held their biggest lead of the game, at 64-41.
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article]
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Marcus Arnold had an
outstanding second half, as he scored 17 in the second frame and 22
for the game, setting a new career high.
Neil Plank showed the Redbird
Arena crowd his versatility, as he had 17 points, 10 rebounds and
six assists. Plank's 17 and 10 was the first double-double for the
Redbirds since Andy Strandmark went for 11 and 14 against Evansville
last season.
As a team, Illinois State shot
49 percent from the field.
Woods led the Rattlers with 22;
however, the Redbird defense harassed him all during the game,
forcing one of the top 3-point shooters in the nation to a 3-of-12
performance from behind the arc.
Illinois State set new Redbird
Arena records for team free throws made, with 38, and attempts, with
48. Trey Guidry went 12-of-14 from the line, tying Rico Hill for the
most free throws made by an ISU player in a game in Redbird Arena
history.
Illinois State will next face Northern Illinois in DeKalb at 7:05
p.m. Wednesday.
[Todd Kober, director of
athletics media relations,
Illinois State University]
[LDN report: "ISU
defangs Rattlers"] |
