McLean County Times

Illinois State University secured an 86-78 victory over Valparaiso, with sophomore forward Chase Walker leading the team by scoring 24 points and achieving a career-high of seven assists. The match took place on a day when the Redbird Athletic Department honored Doug Collins, a recent inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Walker succeeded in nine out of his eleven field attempts, including his sole three-point shot. Other notable performances included Dalton Banks with 17 points, Johnny Kinziger with 15, and Malachi Poindexter with 11. Ty Pence contributed seven points to the team's success.

The Redbirds demonstrated strong teamwork with 22 assists across their 33 field goals, marking the third time this season they have exceeded 20 assists in a game. They also managed to limit their turnovers to just five throughout the match.

Illinois State began the game strongly, quickly securing an eight-point lead and maintaining control throughout. Despite efforts from Valparaiso to close the gap, tying the score at times, Illinois State never fell behind and entered halftime leading by seven points.

In the second half, ISU extended their lead to as much as 11 points before Valparaiso narrowed it down to one point. However, key plays by Walker and Poindexter helped re-establish a comfortable margin for ISU, which they maintained until the final whistle.

Statistically, ISU achieved shooting splits of .500/.400/.750 for this game — making it their ninth such performance this season — while Valparaiso shot at .483 from the field and .370 from beyond the arc.

Key players for Valparaiso included All Wright with 20 points and Cooper Schwieger who added another 14.

After completing this two-game homestand successfully, Illinois State is set to play away games starting February 5 against UIC at 7 p.m.