McLean County Times

On Sunday, the Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team played their first preseason exhibition game, facing the 17th-ranked University of Illinois in Champaign. The Redbirds lost the contest with a final score of 92-65.

Jack Daugherty led Illinois State with 16 points, making five out of eleven three-point attempts. Brandon Lieb and Ty'Reek Coleman each contributed nine points. Lieb, who previously played for Illinois before joining Illinois State, scored the team's first points of the exhibition season.

The game started with an early run by Illinois, who scored six straight points before Lieb put Illinois State on the board. After trailing 9-2, the Redbirds responded with a seven-point run featuring scores from Ty Pence and Daugherty. However, Illinois countered with additional runs of 10-0 and 7-0 to build their lead. By halftime, Illinois led 47-24.

Illinois State continued to compete in the second half but could not overcome the deficit established in the first half.

Additional contributions came from Mason Klabo and Landon Moore, who each recorded three assists. Three other players—Daugherty, Lieb, and Boden Skunberg—added two assists apiece. All four freshmen on the roster—Coleman (nine points), Nick Allen (seven), Klabo (six), and Isaac Ericksen (four)—scored during the game against Illinois.

Ty Pence added eight points in 22 minutes of play. Coleman led in rebounds for Illinois State with four boards.

Several players were unavailable due to injury: Chase Walker, Johnny Kinziger, Cameron Barnes, and Ty Blake did not participate in Sunday's game.

The Redbirds are scheduled for another exhibition matchup at Northwestern on October 29 at 7 p.m., followed by their regular season opener against Ohio University in Athens on November 6.