 Sophomore newcomer Zach Lofton led all scorers with 19 points for ISU,
including a 3-for-5 effort from 3-point range, to lead four Redbirds
in double figures. Junior transfer Bobby Hunter chipped in 17
points; Nick Zeisloft scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half;
and freshman Paris Lee finished the game with 10 points to round out
double-figure efforts for ISU.Illinois State took an early 6-0
lead, with Hunter scoring four of those points, before Quincy
answered with a pair of 3-pointers by Scott Hahn to knot the game at
6-6. Zeisloft got the lead back for the Redbirds soon after with a
3-pointer of his own to give ISU a 9-6 advantage at the first media
timeout of the first half. The Redbirds maintained a single-digit
lead at 14-11, and that lead grew to 16-11 after a basket by Tony
Wills, but a Quincy 3-pointer by Grant Meyer cut the deficit back to
two points at 16-14 just seconds later. Quincy would eventually tie
the game at 19-19, after a 3-pointer by Nate Des Jardins with just
over nine minutes left in the first quarter.
Five straight points from Lofton put the Redbirds back up by two
at 24-22, and a fast-break layup by Hunter extended the lead to
26-22 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Quincy would fight
back and take its first lead of the game at 27-26 a minute later,
thanks to five straight points from Chris Babbit. Kaza Keane
answered with five straight points of his own to get the lead back
for the Redbirds, and ISU ended the half with four straight points
from Lee to take a nine-point lead into the locker room at halftime,
36-27.
Quincy came out of the break scoring six straight points on a
pair of 3-pointers by Austin Weber to cut the Redbird lead to three
at 36-33. The two teams would stay close until Quincy ripped off a
7-0 run, capped off on a 3-pointer by Jordan Wilson, to take a 42-40
lead with 15:27 left in the game. The lead would be short-lived, as
Wills connected on a jumper seconds later to knot the game up at
42-42. A jumper by Lofton a minute later gave the Redbirds a
two-point lead at 44-42, but a 3-pointer from Weber gave the Hawks
the lead back at 45-44.
[to top of second column] |
A basket by Meyer then gave the Hawks their biggest lead of
the game at 47-44, but five straight points by John Jones and
Lofton gave the Redbirds a 49-48 lead with 10:20 left in the
game. Quincy continued its 3-point barrage, as Des Jardins
connected from beyond the arc to give the Hawks a 51-49
advantage 20 seconds later, before a pair of free throws by
Lofton tied the game for the seventh time and made the score
51-51 with just under nine minutes left.
With the game tied at 57-57 with 7:38 left to play, the Redbirds
went on a quick 6-0 run, after a jumper by Zeisloft and a pair of
buckets from Jamaal Samuel, to take a 63-57 lead. The lead would
grow to double digits for the first time in the game at 71-60, after
Zeisloft nailed a pair of 3-pointers, and a fast-break layup by Lee
widened the advantage to 13 points at 73-60 at the final media
timeout of the game. The Redbirds sprinted to the finish and
outscored the Hawks 11-5 over the final four minutes of play to come
away with the exhibition win.
The Redbirds will open the regular season Friday on the road
against nationally ranked Virginia Commonwealth University. Tipoff
is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Comcast
SportsNet Chicago Plus with Kurt Pegler and Bob Morris on the call
from Richmond, Va.
___
ISU-Quincy stats (PDF)
ISU-Quincy
notes (PDF)
[Text from
news release received from
Illinois State University] |
