NORMAL, Ill. ? Sunday's game at Illinois State was a battle for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Indiana State looking to tie Illinois State in the conference standings. The Sycamores (10-9, 5-4 MVC) with stood an early charge from the Redbirds (15-5, 7-2 MVC) but did not have enough down the stretch and suffered a 65-62 defeat at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State took an early 4-0 lead after a layup by Dom Johnson and later extended that lead to 11-2 on a three pointer from Levi Dyer at the 16:09 mark. The Sycamores then went on an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to three points at 13-10. After a jumper by freshman Isiah Martin kick-started the drive, sophomore Marico Stinson hit back-to-back jumpers to cut the lead to five. Martin then capped off the run with a layup to pull ISU close.
The Redbirds then widened the lead to nine points at 23-14 with 9:18 left in the half after a three pointer by Sead Odzic. However, that would be the last basket for Illinois State until the 3:16 mark, as the Sycamores went on an 11-0 run to take the lead 25-23 on a Martin jumper. Illinois State quickly tied the game and jumped out to a 27-25 lead, before a three-pointer from senior Todd McCoy gave the Sycamores a 28-27 led with 2:20 left in the half. Illinois State then finished the half on a 6-0 run to take a 33-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half started with sophomore Harry Marshall connecting from three-point range to pull the Sycamores within three points at 33-30. Illinois State responded by going on an 8-0 run, capped off by an Osiris Eldridge three pointer to widen the lead to 41-30. The Sycamores then answered with a 14-5 run to cut the lead to 46-44, capped off by back-to-back three pointers from Gabe Moore and Stinson.
Illinois State maintained a small lead over the next six minutes of play, before another three-pointer by Moore tied the game for the third time at 56-56 with 5:02 left in the game. Neither team scored over the next two minutes until Emmanuel Holloway connected from three-point range to give the Redbirds a 59-56 lead. That lead did not last very long, though, as Stinson answered with a three of his own to tie the game at 59-59 with 2:24 left.
Illinois State then took the lead 62-59 on an Eldridge three-pointer with 37 second left. The Sycamores had shots down the stretch and cut the lead to two points at 64-62 after a free throw from Moore, but could overtake the Redbirds and fell by the final of 65-62.
Stinson led all scorers with 22 points and added five assists to lead the way for the Sycamores. McCoy and Moore also finished in double figures, with 10 points each. Illinois State was led by Eldridge and Dinma Odiakosa, who each scored 15 points in the win.
The Sycamores return to action on Wednesday, January 30, when they travel to Peoria, Ill., to take on the Bradley Braves. Tip off is set for 8:05 p.m. EST at Carver Arena.
