Illinois St defeats S Illinois 68-75
Illinois St Edges S Illinois in Thrilling Conference Matchup
The visiting Illinois State Redbirds pulled off a stunning comeback victory over the Saluki's at home on Friday night, defeating Southern Illinois 75-68 in a thrilling conference matchup.
Trailing by five points at halftime, Illinois State erased the deficit and took control of the game down the stretch. The Redbirds' relentless pressure paid off as they outscored S Illinois 45-33 in the second half, securing the narrow win.
Ty Pence led Illinois State with 22 points on 69.2% shooting from the field, including three treys. Chase Walker added 15 points and seven rebounds to complement Pence's effort. Landon Wolf chipped in eight rebounds and nine points off the bench for the Redbirds.
Quel'Ron House paced S Illinois with 22 points, but the Salukis struggled from beyond the arc, making just four of 13 three-point attempts. Rolyns Aligbe grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to provide a bright spot in a disappointing performance.
The game's largest lead was 11 points for Illinois State in the first half, before S Illinois narrowed the gap to five at intermission. The Redbirds' bench played a crucial role in the comeback, outscoring S Illinois' reserves 25-15 in the second half.
Advanced statistics told a similar story, with Illinois State's true shooting percentage (.54) and offensive rebounding percentage (33.3%) significantly higher than S Illinois'. The Salukis struggled to contain the Redbirds' fast break attacks, surrendering just five points off turnovers compared to 20 for Illinois State.
The win marked a significant upset for Illinois State, as they took down the previously undefeated Salukis at home. The victory puts the Redbirds in good position within the conference standings and sets up an intriguing matchup with another top team next week.
With their impressive comeback performance, Illinois State has demonstrated its resilience and depth, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in conference play.