Redbirds Fall to Northern Iowa in Arch Madness Quarterfinal

Image Courtesy of Kayla Piper

ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Men’s Basketball season came to an end Friday night as the Redbirds fell to Northern Iowa, 74-52, in the quarterfinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center.

Entering Arch Madness as the No. 3 seed with a first-round bye, Illinois State struggled offensively and trailed throughout the night as the Panthers controlled the pace from the opening tip.

Northern Iowa started fast, making its first four shots to jump out to a 10-2 lead. The Redbirds answered with back-to-back threes from Mason Klabo to cut the deficit, but the Panthers continued to lock down their offensive attack. Illinois State battled back late in the half but still trailed 35-27 at the break.

The Panthers quickly extended their lead after halftime with a 5-0 run, forcing the Redbirds to play catch up the rest of the game. Illinois State never found consistent offensive rhythm and finished the night shooting just 32.6 percent from the field.

Chase Walker led the Redbirds with 11 points, marking his 20th double digit scoring performance of the season. Johnny Kinziger added eight points, while Ty Pence grabbed a team high six rebounds. Northern Iowa was led by Leon Bond III with 19 points, while Trey Campbell and Ben Schwieger added 12 and 11 points respectively.

“I know things didn’t pan out the way we wanted to this season,” Walker said following the loss. “I love this team. I love playing for Coach Pedon.”

Head coach Ryan Pedon spoke on the team’s frustration after the game.

“We didn’t put our best foot forward tonight,” Pedon said. “For all of us, that’s a difficult pill to swallow.”

The loss ends Illinois State’s run in Arch Madness and concludes the season with 20 wins for the Redbirds. Northern Iowa went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a victory over UIC on Sunday, 84-69.