Redbirds turn the tide on Ole Miss    

[NOV. 17, 2004]  MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- What a difference a day makes, especially when it comes to field goal shooting for the Illinois State basketball team. The Redbirds countered one of their worst shooting performances to shoot 59.5 percent from the field en route to a 70-52 victory over Mississippi in the third-place game of the 2004 Black Coaches Association Classic Tuesday night at the Bradley Center.

When ISU missed its first two shots of the game, it looked like the shooting woes were going to continue, but then the Redbirds (2-1) hit five straight field goals that initiated a 25-10 run to open the game. Senior Trey Guidry poured in 13 first-half points, including nine in 3-pointers, while Lorenzo Gordon tacked on 10 first-half tallies.

Ole Miss (1-2) closed the gap to 29-21, but the Redbirds rallied with a 9-2 run and finished the half with a 38-23 lead. The hot shooting continued in the second half as the 'Birds pushed the lead to 24 points and were never threatened.

Guidry finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 on treys. Gordon tossed in his first career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Greg Dilligard chipped in 11 boards and seven points.

Ole Miss was led by Bam Doyne's 11 points, and he was the only Rebel in double figures.

The Redbirds finished the BCA Classic with a third-place title and wins over teams from both the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.

Illinois State returns to action on Nov. 22 when it hosts Truman State at 7:05 p.m., the first of six straight games at Redbird Arena.

[Todd Kober, assistant athletics director, media relations,
Illinois State University]

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