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Men's
Basketball
Redbird Comeback Falls Short;
Kent State 65, ISU 59
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[November 26, 2007]
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Illinois State overcame an
11-point second-half deficit to force a 47-47 tie with 9:03 left in its
third-place game against Kent State, but the Golden Flashes held on to post
a 65-59 victory over the Redbirds on Saturday in the Chicago Invitational
Challenge at the Sears Centre.
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 The loss dropped ISU's record to 3-2 on the season and marked the
28th defeat in the last 31 games away from Redbird Arena, a span of
three seasons. Kent State improved to 4-2 on the year.The Golden
Flashes scored the first points in the second half and held a 35-24
lead with 19:42 left. The Redbirds continued to cut into the lead,
and with Kent State leading 44-36 at the 11:50 mark, ISU rattled off
an 11-3 run to knot the game at 47-47. The Redbird spurt consisted
of 3-point buckets by Osiris Eldridge, Boo Richardson and Emmanuel
Holloway. Eldridge paced the Redbirds with a team-high 11 points but
shot 4-for-11 from the field.
Kent State rattled off the game's next five points as part of a
10-2 run, which fueled its 57-49 lead with 4:22 on the clock. The
Redbirds challenged down the stretch thanks to their full-court
pressure. An Eldridge layup off a steal at the 1:24 mark closed the
ISU deficit to four points, at 61-57. ISU followed up with another
steal, but Anthony Slack's outlet pass was intercepted by Kent
State. The Redbirds had another chance, but, again, Holloway's
3-point try rolled off the front of the rim. The Golden Flashes
sealed the win with a 4-for-6 effort from the foul line during the
game's final 46 seconds.
[to top of second
column]
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In the first half, the two teams traded baskets for 11 lead
changes in the first 14 minutes of the contest. The Golden Flashes
took control of the half with a 10-0 run to take a 28-18 lead at the
2:51 mark, which translated into a 33-24 advantage at the
intermission.
Slack just missed a double-double with 10 points, his fifth
straight double-digit scoring game this season, and nine rebounds.
KSU was led by Mike Scott (18), Haminn Quaintance (12), Rashad Woods
(10).
Illinois State returns to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena on
Tuesday, when the Redbirds host Chicago State at 7:05 p.m.
[Text from file received from Todd Kober, assistant athletics director, media relations,
Illinois State University]
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