Redbirds blow out Bears 86-50 on Senior Night

[February 28, 2013]  NORMAL -- Seniors Tyler Brown and Jackie Carmichael each had stellar performances in their final game at home Wednesday night, as Illinois State (17-13, 8-9 MVC) used a big second-half run to cruise to a 36-point victory over Missouri State (9-21, 6-11) on Senior Night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.

Brown led all scorers with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range. It marked Browns 13th game this season with 20 points or more. Carmichael recorded his 14th double-double of the season and 34th of his career at ISU, with 16 points and 11 rebounds, after scoring only five points in the first half. Johnny Hill rounded out the trio of Redbird scorers in double figures with 15 points, to go along with seven rebounds.

The Redbirds jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, thanks to five straight points from Brown on a jumper and a 3-pointer from the top of the key in the first minute of action. The Bears came back and cut the lead to 8-7 after a 3-pointer from Dorrian Williams, before the Redbirds answered with a two quick buckets from Carmichael and Hill to extend the lead back to five points at 12-7.

ISU maintained the lead at 19-13 at the 11:37 mark, before busting out on a 10-0 run, thanks to five straight points by Hill followed by five straight points from Brown, to widen its lead to 29-13 just under three minutes later. The Redbirds would remain in control and led by as many as 17 points at 34-17 with five minutes left in the half, after a jumper by Jon Ekey.

The lead would later grow to 18 points at 41-23, when senior Anthony Cousin scored on a fast-break layup initiated off a steal by Brown with just over two minutes left in the half. ISU maintained that lead and headed into the locker room at halftime with an 18-point advantage at 43-25. The Redbirds shot 56 percent (14 for 25) from the field in the first 20 minutes, with Brown leading the way with 14 points.

Illinois States lead would continue to grow in the second half, when the Redbirds used a 13-0 run to take a 59-34 lead after Carmichael was fouled while converting a thunderous dunk. During the stretch, the Bears were held scoreless for five minutes. The lead later grew to 30 points at 66-36 after a dunk by Ekey, as the ISU run extended to 20-2 over a seven-minute stretch.

The lead stayed at over 20 points for the remainder of the contest, with the Redbirds leading by as many as 39 points at 84-45 after a 3-pointer by John Wilkins with just under four minutes left in the game. ISU held on the rest of way and came away with the 86-50 win over the Bears.

Illinois State will wrap up the regular season on the road Saturday at Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, with Kurt Pegler and Bob Morris on the call.

[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]