Second-half runs spoil Redbird upset      

[JAN. 31, 2005]  WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State, the league's first-place team, used runs of 14-7 and 9-0 to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and claim a 78-72 victory over upset-minded Illinois State in front of a sold-out Charles Koch Arena Saturday night in Missouri Valley Conference action.

The Shockers (16-2 overall, 9-1 in the Valley) used a 14-7 run to open the second half and force a 42-42 tie with 15:09 remaining. The two teams exchanged leads and baskets for the next six minutes before Wichita State rode a 9-0 run during a two-minute span to take control of the game at 60-51 with 7:20 remaining, a lead it would never relinquish. The Redbirds (14-6, 6-4) closed the gap to five points at 60-55 but could never get any closer.

The Redbirds jumped out with a quick start, taking a 13-5 lead at the 14:32 mark after a 9-0 ISU run including four points by Lorenzo Gordon. The 'Birds pushed the lead to 12 points at the 8:45 mark, when Gregg Alexander hit his first of two first-half 3-pointers to push the ISU lead to 21-9. The Shockers responded with a 7-0 run with 1:37 left in the half to close the gap to 32-28, but Vince Greene's trey with 37 seconds left on the clock gave the 'Birds a 35-28 halftime advantage.

Jamar Howard led all scorers with 21 points, including 16 in the second half, while the Redbirds were led by Trey Guidry and Vince Greene with 19 each. Lorenzo Gordon rounded out the Redbird double-digit scorers with 12 tallies.

Illinois State returns to the road on Tuesday, when the Redbirds travel to Drake for a 7:05 p.m. start.

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

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