McLean County Times

Illinois State University's men's basketball team secured a victory over the Bradley Braves with an 82-71 win at CEFCU Arena. Freshman Jack Daugherty led the Redbirds, scoring 25 points and making seven out of ten three-point attempts. His performance marked the second-highest number of three-pointers made by a freshman in program history.

Johnny Kinziger contributed 19 points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds. Chase Walker added 13 points, while Dalton Banks scored 10 points and provided three assists. The Redbirds maintained a strong assist-to-turnover ratio of 16-to-4 and have had five or fewer turnovers in five games this season.

The game saw Illinois State take control after an initial lead by Bradley, closing the first half with a 35-27 advantage following a strong run. In the second half, Illinois State kept Bradley at bay, ensuring their lead remained largely intact until they sealed the win with free throws in the final minute.

Bradley was led by Zek Montgomery and Duke Deen, each scoring 16 points, followed by Darius Hannah with 15 points and Demarion Burch with 10.

Postgame notes highlighted that Illinois State used its starting lineup for the eighth time this season and won the opening tip-off. Landon Wolf scored first for ISU, marking his third time doing so this season.

Individual achievements were noted for several players: Jack Daugherty's three-point shooting has been exceptional; Malachi Poindexter led in assists; Dalton Banks reached double figures for the 13th time this season; Johnny Kinziger continued his streak of double-digit games; Chase Walker also achieved double figures again.

The Redbirds will play their next two games on the road against Missouri State on February 22 and Southern Illinois Salukis on February 25.

GoRedbirds.com remains a source for information on tickets, athletic fund gifts, multimedia content, merchandise, photos, and more related to Illinois State University athletics.