'Birds out-hustle Western Michigan, win 64-47

[NOV. 28, 2005]  NORMAL -- Head coach Porter Moser was fired up on the sidelines all day, watching the Illinois State defense hustle for loose balls and force turnovers to frustrate the Western Michigan Broncos in a 64-47 nonconference win Saturday at Redbird Arena. ISU, 3-1, forced a season-high 17 turnovers and converted those in 18 points to just six for the Broncos, 2-2.

The Redbird defense corralled the Broncos' offense in the first half, limiting Western Michigan to just 20 points and forcing 12 turnovers in the half. However, the Redbird offense also came to play, as ISU led the entire half and was ahead by as many as 15 points at one point, finishing the half up 34-20.

After trading baskets with Western Michigan for the first four minutes of the half, ISU jumped out to a 17-7 lead thanks to a 9-0 run that took 4½ minutes off the clock. Senior Neil Plank was the catalyst, scoring five points, including one of his three 3-point baskets, in the first half to put a cap on the run before Western Michigan's Joe Reitz put an end to the drought.

ISU continued its hot shooting after the early run, maintaining at least an eight-point lead throughout the rest of the first half. ISU finished the half shooting .500 from the field, with seven 'Birds scoring points. Plank finished the half 6-for-8 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead all scorers in the half with 15 points. For the Broncos, Stane's Bufford and Reitz each had five points in the half.

The scrappy Redbird defense continued to stymie Western Michigan in the second half, never allowing the Broncos to get on a run and forcing five more turnovers, giving the Broncos 17 for the game. The ISU defense frustrated the Broncos with its tight play, and the results showed at the free-throw line for the Redbirds, as they scored 17 of their 30 second-half points on free throws.

Khalif Ford got the Redbird scoring started in the second half after Dana Ford stole the ball and Khalif Ford recovered on a fast break to bring the score to 36-24 with 17:28 left in the second frame. ISU outscored WMU 18-6 off turnovers and had seven steals on the day. Western Michigan could get within only 10 points in the half, as ISU continued to play strong defense and get second-chance looks at the hoop.

Khalif Ford finished the game with 11 points, and Plank added just one point in the second half, finishing with 16 for the game. Andrew Hershberger was the only Bronco in double figures, with 11 points.

ISU plays the second game of its five-game homestand on Tuesday against Grambling State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Redbird Arena.

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

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