ISU Uses Second Half Push To Defeat Chicago State 75-56

Senior Nate Duhon finished a rebound short of a double-double.

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NORMAL, Ill. - A hot shooting Illinois State second half performance helped the Redbirds defeat Chicago State men's basketball 75-56 at Redbird Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 4) evening. The Cougars were trying to defeat their second straight Missouri Valley Conference team in as many games after defeating Southern Illinois last Saturday.

Chicago State trailed for only four minutes of the first half with the score changing hands just three times in the opening 20 minutes. Both team failed to shoot better than 35 percent in the first half as neither offense found a rhythm but the Cougars went to the locker room at halftime with a 30-28 advantage.

The game changed on a 10-0 Illinois State run in the second half. Illinois State kept Chicago State off the board for a little better than four minutes just after the first media timeout of the second half. The run was capped at the 12:23 mark on free throws by Bobby Hunter to put ISU up 46-39. The Redbirds grabbed their first double-digit lead of the game with just under seven minutes remaining on a pair of free throws by Zach Lofton. ISU followed with a Hunter 3-pointer on the next possession to help put the game away.

"That four minute stretch with our four turnovers really turned the game against us," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. "A good team like ISU is going to take advantage of those turnovers."

Illinois State finished at 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the floor in the game but shot a blistering 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) in the second half. The Cougars finished with a 30.9 percent (17-of-55). ISU's performance from the floor helped the Redbirds outscore the Cougars 47-26 in the second half.

The Cougars, who finished ninth in the nation in steals per game last year, didn't record their first steal until the 11:18 mark in the second half. It would be their only steal of the game. The last time the Cougars had just one steal in a game was Nov. 16, 2012 at Kent State.

"We're not going to win getting one steal in a game," Dildy said. "We need to be more active than that."

Senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) recorded a game-high 16 points. Senior Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) added 13 points and nine rebounds. Senior Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Daishon Knight led the Redbirds with 15 points, all in the second half.

Chicago State falls to 3-5. Illinois State improves to 4-4.

The Cougars return to action on Saturday (Dec. 7) in a non-conference game against UW-Parkside. Tip at the Jones Convocation Center is set for 2:05 p.m.

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