Illinois State Gets Bounce Back Victory over Drake at Home

Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics

NORMAL, Ill.-The Illinois State Redbirds came out strong on Friday night at CEFCU Arena in Normal, taking command early and never really looking back in an 86–76 victory over the Drake Bulldogs. Illinois State seized the momentum from the jump, building a comfortable lead and carrying a 47–32 advantage into halftime behind aggressive play and hot shooting.

One of the defining stories of the night was the Redbirds’ depth, with Ty’Reek Coleman providing a huge boost off the bench. Coleman poured in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, energizing the home crowd and giving Illinois State consistent scoring when starters were resting. Meanwhile, Chase Walker was nearly perfect from the floor, finishing with 18 points on extremely efficient shooting, and Boden Skunberg added 13 points, including multiple threes that kept the Redbirds ahead.

Drake fought hard throughout, refusing to fold even as Illinois State built its lead. The Bulldogs were led by Okku Federiko and Jalen Quinn, who each scored 17 points, and Andrew Alia chipped in a solid double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Drake managed to make a push in the second half and even trimmed the margin at times, but Illinois State answered every run, ultimately pulling away in the final minutes to secure the 10-point win.

With the victory, the Redbirds improved their position in Missouri Valley Conference play, building momentum as the schedule tightens down the stretch, currently sitting in 4th place in the conference (8-5 MVC).

Illinois State will hit the road on Monday to take on the 5-19 (1-12 MVC) Evansville Purple Aces in Evansville, IN. Illinois State is now 16-8 on the season with just 7 games remaining on the schedule before MVC tournament play.

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