Redbirds Fly Away With 77-51 Win Over Evansville

[February 04, 2015]  NORMAL - Illinois State set the tone defensively early in the game against Evansville Tuesday night and jumped out to an early lead it would never relinquish, as Reggie Lynch scored 16 points to lead the Redbirds (15-8, 7-4 MVC) to an impressive 77-51 win over the Purple Aces (16-7, 6-5 MVC) on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena

With the win, the Redbirds moved three games over .500 in MVC play for the first time since the 2009-10 season and have now won seven out of their last nine games in conference play. Lynch tied a career high with his 16 points and was joined in double figures by MiKyle McIntosh with 13 points, Deontae Hawkins with 12 points and Paris Lee with 11 points to accompany seven assists.

The Purple Aces scored the first points of the game, before the Redbirds ripped off 12 unanswered points. Illinois State jumped out to a 12-2 lead, thanks to six points in the early going in the post from Lynch. The early run caused Evansville to call a timeout to settle things down just over three minutes into the game.

A reverse layup by McIntosh at the 11:29 mark of the first half widened the ISU advantage to 21-9, forcing UE head coach Marty Simmons to call his second timeout of the half. Evansville responded with a 6-0 run to cut into the ISU lead at 21-15, before a three-pointer by Daishon Knight extended the lead back out to 24-15 with 10 minutes left in the half. Knight’s three-pointer started an 8-0 run for the Redbirds, who took a 14-point lead at 29-15 when Knight connected on a jumper in the lane with 7:20 left on the clock.

Evansville missed five shots in a row and was held scoreless for nearly four minutes, until DJ Balentine connected on a jumper with 6:39 left in the half, but that basket was quickly answered on the other end by back-to-back three-pointers by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Lee that widened the ISU lead to 35-17. A jumper by Hawkins for Illinois State extended the Redbirds’ lead to 20 points at 37-17 at the under four minute media time out commenced.

A late run by the Purple Aces cut the Redbird lead to 41-24, but a jumper by Hawkins on ISU’s final possession of the half gave the Redbirds a 43-24 advantage as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime. The ISU defense held UE to just 33 percent shooting from the field (8-for-24) and forced 12 turnovers, which turned into 17 points for the Redbirds.

ISU started the half on a 7-0 run, as the Purple Aces failed to score for the first three and a half minutes of the half, to take a 50-24 lead. Egidijus Mockevicius snapped the scoring drought for UE with a jumper in the lane, but the basket was immediately answered by a jumper from McIntosh on the other end to make the score 52-26 in favor of the Redbirds. A jumper in the lane by Lee later gave the Redbirds a 30-point advantage at 58-28 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the game.

Hawkins continued his strong effort with a three-pointer from the wing to give the Redbirds a 62-30 at the 11:38 mark. A reverse dunk on the baseline by Lynch gave the Redbirds a 67-36 lead with 8:04 left in the contest, and an alley-oop dunk by Will Ransom gave the Redbirds a 72-36 lead with 6:39 left in the game.

Evansville chipped away at the lead, as a three-point play by Jaylon Moore cut the ISU lead to 74-45. A three-pointer by Hawkins made the score 77-45 on the next Redbird possession, before a fast-break layup by Mislav Brzoja made the score 77-47, as the clock counted down to under three minutes left in the game. Evansville scored the final four points of the game, but Illinois State came away with the dominant victory.

The Redbirds return to action Saturday, Feb. 7, when they travel south to face in-state foe Southern Illinois. Tipoff at SIU Arena is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and FSN Midwest as part of the Missouri Valley Conference Television Network package.

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[Michael Williams, Illinois State University]