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 After the Phoenix jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, the Redbirds
answered with a 11-0 run as Green Bay missed four shots and
committed four turnovers through the first four minutes of play.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell sparked the run with six points, four of
which coming from the line, and Paris Lee completed a three-point
play to cap off the run.
A jumper by Kenneth Lowe snapped a five-plus minute scoring drought
for the Phoenix at the 15:04 mark and layup off a turnover by Keifer
Sykes cut the ISU lead to 11-6 with less than 13 minutes to play in
the first half. Green Bay cut the lead to just three points at 11-8
at the second media time out of the half. The Redbirds suffered a
drought of their own, missing eight shots during the Green Bay run
and failing to score for over four minutes until Reggie Lynch
connected from the charity stripe to make the score 12-8.
Green Bay would tie the game at 16-16 on a three-pointer by
Carrington Love at the 5:27 mark and then took their first lead
since the first minute of the game on the following possession on a
jumper by Alfonzo McKinnie. A three-pointer by Sykes then gave the
Phoenix a 21-16 lead and extended the Green Bay run to 18-5, forcing
ISU head coach Dan Muller to call time out.
A pair of free throws by Lee cut the Green Bay lead back down to
three points at 23-20 with 2:28 left in the half, but the Phoenix
immediately answered with a layup to push the advantage back to five
points at 25-20. The Green Bay lead would grow to seven points,
before Lee connected twice from the charity stripe to cut the lead
back to five at 29-24 with less than 30 seconds left in the half.
The Phoenix called time out and held for the final shot of the half,
and Greg Mays connected with three seconds left to give Green Bay a
31-24 lead at halftime. The Redbirds shot 20 percent from the field
(5-for-25) in the first half, the lowest shooting percentage in a
half by ISU all season, and were 0-for-7 from three-point range,
resulting in the seven point deficit.
Illinois State started the second half on fire, scoring four
unanswered points to cut the Green Bay lead to 31-28 and force head
coach Brian Wardle to call time out. The basket that forced the time
out was made by Lynch, who completed the three-point play to make
the score 31-29 a minute into the half. After a Green Bay basket,
Daishon Knight made the first three-pointer of the game for the
Redbirds at the 16:20 mark of the second half to cut the lead to one
at 33-32.
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Lynch then gave the Redbirds their first lead since the 7:10 mark
with a jumper in the lane and a three-pointer by Lee from the corner
widened the ISU lead to 37-33, forcing another Green Bay time out at
the 14:12 mark. The Illinois State lead grew to 40-34 after two made
free throws from Lee, before Green Bay answered with six-straight
points to cut the ISU lead to 40-39. ISU then scored four-straight
to extend the lead back out to five at 44-39, before the Phoenix
scored five-straight to tie the game at 44-44 with less than 10
minutes left in the contest.
The two squads traded baskets to a 48-48 tie, before a three-pointer
and a reverse layup by Knight put the Redbirds up 53-48 with 4:43
left to play. After a free throw trimmed the lead back to four
points at 53-49, Akoon-Purcell nailed a jumper to put the Redbirds
up by six points with under four minutes to play. Knight continued
his strong second half, as he connected from three-point range for
the third time in the half two minutes later on an assist from Lee
to give the Redbirds a 61-51 lead with 1:44 left on the clock.
ISU led by as much as 14 points at 65-41 with 1:13 left on the
clock, but the Phoenix would not go away and trimmed the lead to
nine points at 65-56 with 46 seconds left to play. Two free throws
by Knight put the lead back to double digits at 67-56 soon after and
ISU pulled away at the free throw line down the stretch for the
victory.
ISU will travel to Old Dominion this weekend in round two. The
Monarchs defeated the Redbirds 64-45 on November 23.
[Michael Williams, Illinois State
University]
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