Redbirds fall to No. 6 Shockers on the road

[January 10, 2014]  WICHITA, Kan. — Bobby Hunter led Illinois State with 11 points and Zach Lofton grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, but No. 6 Wichita State never trailed en route to a 66-47 win over the Redbirds on Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 10,506 at Charles Koch Arena.

Hunter was the lone Redbird to reach double figures, while Nick Zeisloft contributed nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker led Wichita State offensively with 11 points each.

After both teams were held scoreless through the opening two minutes, Early started the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Zeisloft responded with his own 3 to tie the game. The Shockers proceeded to build a 12-7 lead before the Redbirds outscored WSU 5-2 to pull within 14-12 on a dunk by John Jones followed by a Hunter 3-pointer.

Wichita State proceeded to take a 26-13 lead following a 12-1 Wichita State run that included a pair of Baker 3-pointers. Zeisloft broke the streak with a 3, and Lofton later netted seven consecutive points for the Redbirds during an 8-4 Redbird run to pull within 35-24 at the 1:56 mark. However, Darius Carter scored a tip-in basket as time expired to give Wichita State a 37-24 halftime lead.

The Shockers started the second half with a 12-3 run to establish a 49-27 advantage before Hunter hit another 3-pointer to stop the streak. Later, after Wichita State established a 59-35 lead, the Redbirds manufactured a 12-4 run, including five points from Daishon Knight, to cut the WSU advantage to 63-47 with 1:09 remaining. The Shockers went on to secure a 66-47 win.

Illinois State now begins a two-game Valley homestand, starting with Loyola on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Saturday's contest will mark the 25th anniversary of ISU's inaugural men's basketball game at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds opened the $17.4 million venue Jan. 11, 1989, with a 71-70 victory over Chicago State. Tickets to Saturday's game can be purchased by calling or visiting the Redbird Arena ticket office, or by buying them on GoRedbirds.com.

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ISU-Wichita State statistics  (PDF)

[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]