Freshman Johnny Kinziger pumped in a career-high 31 points and Illinois State ruined Indiana State’s first game as a ranked team in 45 years, upsetting the No. 23 Sycamores 80-67 in Terre Haute, Ind., on Tuesday night.
Myles Foster added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Redbirds (12-14, 6-9 Missouri Valley Conference), who canned 51.8 percent of their shots from the field and led for nearly 38 minutes. Kendall Lewis added a game-high 13 rebounds as Illinois State notched the most significant win in coach Ryan Pedon’s two seasons.
Julian Larry scored 20 points for Indiana State (22-4, 13-2), which saw its nine-game winning streak end. Isaiah Swope added 18 points and Ryan Conwell hit for 10 before fouling out.
The Sycamores burst into the top 25 on Monday on the strength of an explosive offense that entered the game with the second-best field-goal percentage in Division I at 50.8 percent. But they couldn’t find their range against Illinois State, making just 36.4 percent of their attempts from the field and 8 of 38 3-pointers.
Despite its rare shooting woes, Indiana State rallied from a 35-29 halftime deficit to take a 49-48 lead with 9:33 left in the game on Swope’s bucket off a Robbie Avila feed. But the Redbirds responded with 3-pointers from Kinziger and Luke Kasubke to take the lead for good.
Ahead 56-55 after Swope converted a 3-pointer with 6:19 remaining, Illinois State ripped off nine consecutive points, a run capped by two foul shots from Lewis with 3:49 left for a 65-55 lead.
The Redbirds got off to the fast start they needed on the road, taking a 16-6 lead just over six minutes into the game on Foster’s layup that forced a timeout from Sycamores coach Josh Schertz. It didn’t help, as the lead grew to 22-8 when Kinziger stole the ball from Avila and converted a layup.
Indiana State showed signs of life in the last 12-plus minutes of the first half, drawing within 32-27 on Swope’s 3-pointer with 1:22 left before going into the break down by six.
–Field Level Media