McLean County Times

A strong performance by freshman Ty'Reek Coleman helped the Illinois State Redbirds overcome an early deficit to defeat Cornell, 76-65, at CEFCU Arena on Sunday.

Cornell took an early lead with a 10-0 run, but Illinois State responded with a 15-0 run midway through the first half. The Redbirds led 34-32 at halftime and extended their advantage in the second half with a 20-6 run. The lead grew to as many as 16 points and did not drop below double digits for the rest of the game.

Illinois State started with Jack Daugherty, Johnny Kinziger, Boden Skunberg, Ty Pence, and Chase Walker for the second consecutive game. Cornell won the opening tip, while ISU’s first points came from a three-pointer by Skunberg.

Coleman scored a career-high 24 points in his home debut. "The 24 points are tied for the 21st-most by a freshman in program history, and he is the ninth freshman in NCAA Division I this season to score 24+ points in a game," according to Illinois State Athletics. "His points total is the second-most in a home debut as a freshman, behind only the 30 from Emon Washington against Greenville on December 2, 2020."

Chase Walker added 13 points—his first double-digit scoring game of the season and the 28th of his career. Kinziger reached double figures for the second straight game with 11 points; it was his 45th time achieving that mark. Skunberg scored ten for his second consecutive double-digit effort since joining Illinois State.

Brandon Lieb contributed ten rebounds, marking his second career game with double-digit boards. The Redbirds out-rebounded Cornell by eight (45-37), aided by Landon Wolf’s eight rebounds and Kinziger’s seven.

Cornell had scored over one hundred points in its previous outing but was limited to just sixty-five against Illinois State. The Redbirds shot nearly forty-seven percent from the field and thirty-seven percent from three-point range.

Illinois State improved its all-time record against Cornell to two wins without a loss.

The Redbirds will play their next games on November 14 against USC and November 16 at Long Beach State.