McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's basketball team faced a challenging end to their 2024 calendar year, suffering a defeat against the UIC Flames with a score of 73-67. This game marked the second MVC matchup of the season for both teams.

Malachi Poindexter led the Redbirds with a season and game-high of 20 points, successfully converting 12-of-14 free throws and making two out of six attempts from long range. This performance was his third career game scoring over 20 points at ISU. Ty Pence contributed 10 points on four-of-six shooting, while Dalton Banks added nine points and recorded five assists without any turnovers in the game. Banks has accumulated nine assists without turnovers over his last two games.

Jordan Davis managed to secure five rebounds for ISU, and Banks also had two steals along with a blocked shot.

ISU's next game is scheduled for Thursday, January 2, when they will travel to Murray, Kentucky, to face off against the Murray State Racers at CFSB Center with a tip-off at 7 p.m.

The Redbirds started strong in their recent contest, executing a 12-0 run to lead 14-2 within the first five minutes as Chase Walker scored six points early in the game. However, UIC gradually reduced their deficit and came close before ISU entered halftime leading by just two points at 35-33.

UIC claimed their first lead through a three-pointer early in the second half, igniting a series of plays that resulted in a seven-point advantage midway through the period. Their lead extended to nine points before ISU attempted to rally but ultimately fell short.

ISU's shooting was less effective than usual, hitting only 39.7 percent overall (23-of-58) and under 30 percent from beyond the arc for just the third time this season. In contrast, UIC shot an even split of 24-of-52 across both halves and made eight out of seventeen three-point attempts during the game.

Four players from UIC achieved double figures in scoring: Sasa Ciani led with 16 points followed by Javon Jackson's 14, Ahmad Henderson II's 12, and Tyem Freeman's contribution of ten points.

Illinois State employed a starting lineup featuring Malachi Poindexter, Dalton Banks, Landon Wolf, Ty Pence, and Chase Walker for the first time this season. They began strong by winning the opening tip-off and scoring initially through Chase Walker's lay-up shortly after play commenced. The team's positive assist-to-turnover ratio (14-to-5) was notable as it represented their largest margin against an NCAA Division I opponent this season.