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Dilligard, Richardson lead Redbirds to first win
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[NOV. 15, 2006]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The inside and outside
combination of Illinois State's Greg Dilligard and Boo Richardson
was too much for McNeese State as the Redbirds notched their first
win of the season with a 67-50 win over the Cowboys in the third and
final day of the Colonial Classic at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
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Richardson paced the Redbirds (1-2) with a game-high 23 points,
while Dilligard collected 20 points. The victory was the first for
ISU away from Redbird Arena in its last 18 tries. The last Redbird
victory away from Normal occurred on Feb. 19, 2005, when ISU topped
Wisconsin-Green Bay 79-69 in ESPN BracketBusters. Illinois State
went ahead 9-7 at the 15:20 mark on an Anthony Slack layup and never
relinquished the lead. Over the next seven minutes, ISU went on a
14-3 run, which included six points by Dilligard, to give the 'Birds
a 23-10 lead with 8:30 left in the first half. The Redbirds
increased their lead to 16 points and took a 36-20 advantage into
the locker room, led by Dilligard's 11 first-half points.
In the second half, the Redbirds could never fully put McNeese
State (0-3) away, but the Cowboys were unable to get any closer than
10 points. Both times when McNeese State closed the gap to 10
points, the Redbirds responded, including a 9-0 run in the game's
final three minutes.
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 In addition to his career-best 23 points, Richardson dished out a
team-high seven assists in 36 minutes. He shot 8-for-12 from the
floor and was 3-for-5 on treys. Dilligard registered the second
20-point scoring game of his career, while shooting 9-of-14 from the
field.
The Redbirds outrebounded the Cowboys 40-27, including an 18-9
edge on the offensive glass. As a result, the Redbirds outscored
McNeese State 21-5 on second-chance points.
The Cowboys were led by Jarvis Bradley's 15 points, while Troy
Aaron chipped in 12 and Aldryan Wardell added 10.
The Redbirds will return to action for their first home game of
the season on Monday against Cal State Northridge. Tipoff is
scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
[Game statistics]
[Illinois
State University news release provided by Todd Kober, assistant
athletics director, media relations] |
