Redbirds take 73-47 victory
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State forward Chase Walker scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Redbirds to a 73-47 win over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on New Year’s Day inside CEFCU Arena.
Bryce Quinet was the leading scorer for the Purple Aces with 13 points. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown while adding four boards and a pair of assists. AJ Casey wrapped up the game with eight points and seven caroms while Alex Hemenway scored seven. Walker was one of three ISU players to reach double figures. Ty’Reek Coleman and Landon Wolf totaled 12 apiece.
“We gave Illinois State too many opportunities today and did not look like ourselves at all,” UE head coach David Ragland explained after the game. “They (ISU) are playing with a lot of confidence and have a veteran group who have played together for a long time. As good as ISU is, you cannot turn the ball over 23 times on the road and win.”
A 3-pointer on the Redbirds’ first possession opened a 7-0 stretch to begin the game. The ISU defense held the Purple Aces to a 0-for-4 start from the floor along with forcing three turnovers. AJ Casey got UE on the board with a free throw before Bryce Quinet knocked down a triple to make it an 8-4 game.
After an Illinois State score, the Aces utilized a 15-4 run to take their first lead of the game. Alex Hemenway connected on a triple before a pair of Leif Moeller free throws tied the game at 10-10. Following another ISU score to put them back on top, the Aces continued to fight back. Following a Moeller jumper that tied the game, Casey’s field goal at the 12:26 mark put UE on top for the first time.
Keishon Porter followed with a basket before Casey hit from downtown to solidify a 19-14 lead inside the 11-minute mark. UE made six consecutive field goals during the rally. Just as quickly as the Aces made their run, the Redbirds countered with 12 points in a row as they retook a 26-19 edge. Their defense held UE to 0-6 with four turnovers during a scoreless stretch of over four minutes.
Hemenway got UE back on the board with a pair of free throws to make it a 5-point game, but the Redbirds were just getting started. Over the final six minutes of the period, ISU outscored the Aces by a 20-7 margin to take a 46-28 halftime lead. Chase Walker had a game-high 16 points in the opening stanza for the Redbirds while Casey led the Aces with eight.
Josh Hughes converted an early basket to complete a 5-0 run to begin the second half. Unfortunately, that is as close as the Aces would get. Holding a 52-35 advantage inside of 15 minutes remaining, Illinois State embarked on a 15-0 run to take their largest lead at 67-35 with 7:26 remaining. In total, it was a 21-2 rally. UE missed eight consecutive field goals while turning the ball over six times during the scoring drought.
Connor Turnbull’s second-chance basket ended the stretch, but the deficit was too much to overcome with ISU completing the game with the 73-47 victory. The Redbirds shot 46.6% in the victory while the Aces shot 31.4%. The shooting mark was the lowest since the Aces shot 30.0% in the season opener at #1 Purdue. UE completed the day with a 37-34 edge on the glass.
On Sunday, the Aces return to the Ford Center to face Northern Iowa at 3 p.m.
