Carmichael, Brown lead ISU past Bradley, 79-59

[February 14, 2013]  NORMAL -- Jackie Carmichael and Tyler Brown scored in double figures Wednesday night as the Illinois State men's basketball team (16-10, 7-7 MVC), sporting throwback uniforms, defeated the Bradley Braves (14-12, 6-8 MVC) 79-59 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena for ISU's fourth straight Valley win. Carmichael netted 27 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Brown scored 22 and grabbed eight off the glass.

The Redbirds are the hottest team in the MVC, winning seven of their last eight conference contests and eight of their last nine against the Braves. Illinois State shot 47 percent from the field (27 of 57) and 33 percent from beyond the arc (7 of 21), while Bradley shot 35 percent from the field (23 of 65) and 33 percent (8 of 24) from 3-point land. ISU sank 18 of 20 from the charity stripe, compared with the 5-of-8 performance from BU.

Walt Lemon Jr. opened the scoring in the contest for the Braves, sinking a trey from the top of the key. Brown answered with back-to-back 3-pointers of his own, igniting an early 9-2 run for the Redbirds. Brown capped off the run converting all three free throws awarded after being fouled in 3-point land, giving ISU a 9-5 advantage. Carmichael added two buckets of his own and Bryant Allen added another, helping Illinois State to a 15-11 lead heading into the first media timeout.

The teams exchanged baskets until a trey by Tyshon Pickett sparked a 10-2 run for Bradley, regaining the lead with a 24-20 advantage. The Redbirds battled back to tie the game up at 24-24, thanks to two free throws by Carmichael. Back-to-back free throws by John Wilkins gave ISU its second lead of the night, as the Redbirds took a two-point advantage (26-24) into the third media timeout of the first half.

The basket exchange continued until two Redbird dunks, by Brown and John Ekey, gave Illinois State a one-point advantage as the teams headed into the locker rooms after the first half.

Carmichael and Brown led all scorers, netting 12 and 11 points respectively in the first half. Carmichael also posted the top number in the rebound column, as he grabbed eight. As a team, the Redbirds shot 36 percent from the field (11 of 30) and a perfect 100 percent from the charity stripe (7 for 7). The Braves shot 42 percent from the field (13 of 31) and 33 percent from beyond the arc (4 of 12).

Jake Eastman opened the scoring in the second half, hitting a jumper from just outside the paint to give Bradley a 33-32 advantage. Carmichael answered with a layup of his own, converting the three-point play after being fouled on his way to the hoop, giving the lead back to ISU at 35-33. The teams exchanged more buckets before a Johnny Hill 3-pointer triggered a 7-0 run for the Redbirds, heading into the first media timeout of the half with a three-point lead, 47-44.

The two teams once again traded baskets until the Redbirds drained three straight from the paint. Allen hit a jumper, while Carmichael rolled two off the glass, capping off a 6-0 run and giving Illinois State a seven-point advantage, 55-48. Bradley pulled within two before back-to-back layups by Carmichael gave ISU a 58-53 advantage with 9:42 left in the game.

Carmichael scored the next six straight points, while Brown and Wilkins each added two of their own, giving the Redbirds a 64-53 lead with 6:24 remaining. Illinois State closed the game on a 13-3 run, earning its fourth straight Valley win. ISU posted a 59 percent performance from the field in the second half (16 of 27), sinking four treys, while Bradley shot just 29 percent from the field (10 of 34), matching the four treys of the Redbirds.

Illinois State returns to action Sunday as it plays host to Wichita State. Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m.

[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]