McLean County Times

Redbirds Drop Road Contest at Indiana State 

Darius Burford tied a season-high with a game-high 23 points, as Kendall Lewis had his seventh double-double of the season, but it was not to overcome a strong Indiana State squad by an 80-64 score on Saturday afternoon.

Burford made a season-high 10 shots on 17 attempts, 2-of-3 from long range and 1-of-2 free throws en route to his season-high-tying scoring performance. Lewis scored 14 points while Malachi Poindexter added a dozen points.  Lewis' 12 rebounds were a game-high, while Burford led the team with two assists. Poindexter and Luke Kasubke each had two steals to tie for the game-high, with three Redbirds recording a block.

The teams were tied at two and eight points, before the hosts followed the 8-8 tie by running off a 9-2 run, and never trailed again in the contest. The Sycamore lead grew to as many as 14 in the half, before Poindexter drained a three-pointer with 26 seconds to play in the half to cut the gap to 11 at halftime.

The Redbirds trimmed the deficit to as few as eight points in the second half but could never get any closer in the 16-point loss.

Indiana State got a team-high 17 points from Trenton Gibson off the bench, while Cooper Neese scored 16. The Sycamores got a dozen points each from Courvoisier McCauley and Xavier Bledson and 10 from Julian Larry in the game. Larry dished out a game-high four assists while adding two steals.

The Redbirds play their next game on the road, traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, to face off against the Drake Bulldogs in a 7 p.m. tip-off inside the Knapp Center.

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois State is now 10-19 (5-13 MVC) on the season while Indiana State is 20-9 (13-5 MVC).
• Illinois State used a starting lineup of 0 Luke Kasubke, 1 Malachi Poindexter, 10 Darius Burford, 22 Kendall Lewis, and 23 Harouna Sissoko
  • This is the fourth time this lineup has been used this season
• Tonight's game is the 131st time these two teams have met on the basketball court
  • Illinois State leads the all-time series 67-64
  • Indiana State leads the all-time series in games played in Terre Haute 42-22
• Indiana State won the opening tip.
• The first Illinois State points of the game came with 19:15 to play in the first half on a Harouna Sissoko lay-in
• Illinois State's first sub was Seneca Knight with 16:01 to play in the first half
• Indiana State led 37-26 at the half

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Malachi Poindexter
  • Reached double-figure scoring for the 13th time this season
• Darius Burford
  • Tied a season-high with 23 points and set season-highs in field goals made and attempted
  • Scored in double-figures for the sixth consecutive game, the 20th time this season, and 47th in his career
  • Scored 20+ points for the fifth time this season and 14th time in his career
  • Currently stands 49 points shy of 1,000 for his career
• Kendall Lewis
  • For the fourth consecutive game he scored in double-digits, and it is his 17th time this season and 41st of his career
  • Pulled down double-digit rebounds for the eighth time this season, and 11th time as a Redbird
  • The double-double is his seventh of the season and ninth of his ISU career
  • Stands 45 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate basketball career

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Original source can be found here