Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics.
NORMAL, Ill. — The Illinois State University basketball team flew to a 79-59 victory over Kent State on Wednesday night at CEFCU Arena, marking the Redbirds’ first National Invitational Tournament win since the 2016-17 season. Landon Wolf scored a career-high 24 points in the impressive win.
ISU pulled away early after a competitive start, with many sloppy mistakes by both teams. The teams traded leads four times in the opening five minutes and were tied at 7 before the Redbirds surged ahead with a 10-0 run to take a 17-7 lead. Kent State briefly cut the deficit to seven through their brutal and physical, inside-the-paint, offense. Still, Illinois State responded with multiple scoring bursts to build a commanding 45-25 advantage by halftime.
Kent State, widely known for being a “second-half team,” opened the second half with momentum, scoring 11 of the first 16 points to trim the deficit to 14. However, Illinois State quickly regained control, using a 13-1 run to extend its lead to 26 midway through the half. The Golden Flashes were unable to mount a comeback and did not get closer than 20 points the rest of the game.
Wolf dominated early, scoring 18 of his 24 points in the first half while tying a career high with five 3-pointers. He also added seven rebounds. Chase Walker contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, while Johnny Kinziger finished with 11 points and seven assists. Freshman Ty’Reek Coleman added 10 points, moving into fifth place in program history for freshman scoring.
Illinois State showcased never-before-seen efficiency throughout the game, recording 21 assists compared to just four turnovers. The Redbirds’ assist-to-turnover margin of plus-17 was one of their best marks this season and helped fuel their balanced offensive attack.
The Redbirds, who started Mason Klabo, Wolf, Kinziger, Boden Skunberg and Walker, controlled the glass with 43 rebounds and set several NIT program benchmarks, including fewest turnovers in a tournament game.
Illinois State advances to face Wake Forest in the second round of the NIT on Sunday, March 22nd at 2:30 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For all things Redbird basketball, stay tuned to WZND.com.
