Illinois State Men’s Basketball Take Down Central State in Home Opener
Written by Jack Polkow on November 7, 2026
Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics
NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State men’s basketball beat Central State on Thursday night to secure its first win of the 2026-27 season, winning by a score of 100-55.
The story of the night was the 3-point shooting, as the Redbirds shot over 50% from behind the arc. Johnny Kinziger once again led the way, making five three-pointers. Malik Messina-Moore continued his impressive start to the season, knocking down four from behind the arc.
Head coach Ryan Pedon was impressed with what he saw but says that 3 point shooting was not a big focus for the team coming into the first few games. He spoke on how Chase Walker’s ability to find shooters has led to those big numbers from the outside.
“I think it’s what the games have given us on both occasions, you know, when you have a guy like Chase Walker on the inside,” said Pedon. “I call him the ultimate gravity machine, because he draws defenders at a high level and he’s gonna be high on the scouting report.”
Illinois State took a 56-29 lead into halftime and outscored Central State 44-26 in the second half with freshmen Jordan Williams, Matthew Szafoni, and Leyton Wolf all making their debuts late in the game.
Chase Walker did not start in the game, possibly due to usual early foul trouble, but he did play 13 minutes and recorded 11 points. Noah Cleveland started at the center position in his place.
Nick Allen shot 7-7 from the field and scored a game high 18 points.
Illinois State will be back in action this Monday night at 7:30 p.m. when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten matchup.
For all things Redbird basketball, be sure to stay tuned to wznd.com.
