Chase Walker Plays Hero as the Redbirds Dodge the Bears

Image Courtesy of Redbird Athletics

NORMAL, Ill. – Chase Walker went home a hero Saturday night, as his layup with 4 seconds left on the game clock found the hoop and sent CEFCU arena into a frenzy, propelling the Illinois State Men’s Basketball team to victory over the Missouri State Bears 70-68.

Despite the heroics it was a rather quiet night for Walker as he managed only 7 points on the evening in only 20 minutes of total playing time. Leading the way for ISU was Dalton Banks who scored a sweet 16 points on his night, despite not hitting any 3-pointers.

Jordan Davis topped the box score with three triples and 14 points overall, which was a step back for the Redbirds on offense. Coming off a strong showing against number two ranked Bradley, in which they scored 82 points in an 11-point victory, the birds were barely able to squeak by Missouri State despite the bears being one of the bottom feeders in the MVC.

Overall, the contest was rather low scoring, but the Redbirds’ inconsistency from the 3-point line ended up hurting them greatly as the Bears were able to attack the rim and keep the contest close until the very last seconds, in which the Birds had to rely on a last breath shot from the aforementioned Chase Walker.

This was the first of three must win games the Redbirds have against three of the worst teams in the MVC going into Arch madness. After a nail biter victory against the last seeded bears, it remains to be seen if ISU can bounce back and make some noise against their next two opponents, one of which on the road, the other at home.

The Redbird’s next two matchups are against the Southern Illinois Salukis and the Evansville Purple Aces, the latter of the two contests being a home matchup and the season finale.

The Redbirds will look to sharpen their skills against SIU as they look to make a run at that MVC crown and an NCAA tournament birth at Arch Madness next Thursday.