Redbirds Drop Road Contest Against Evansville; Fall to 16-9

Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics

NORMAL, Ill.- The Illinois State Redbirds fought hard on the road Monday night but fell 88–80 to the Evansville Purple Aces in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Redbirds started the game with energy, but Evansville took control midway through the first half and carried a lead into halftime, leaving Illinois State trying to catch up in the second half.

Evansville ended a six-game losing streak behind a standout performance from AJ Casey, who led all scorers with 28 points and added five rebounds. Bryce Quinet contributed 17 points, while Leif Moeller hit four 3-pointers and had 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Purple Aces’ balanced attack proved too much for the Redbirds to overcome, even as Illinois State made several pushes to close the gap.

For Illinois State, Landon Moore led the team with 16 points, with Ty’Reek Coleman adding 14, and Landon Wolf contributing 11 points and nine rebounds. The Redbirds made a late surge with a 13-point run to tighten the margin, but they could not complete the comeback.

The Redbirds will now turn their focus back home as they prepare to face Valparaiso later this week on Thursday, hoping to bounce back in front of the home crowd.

With the loss, Illinois State drops to 16-9 overall and 8-6 in MVC play. As the regular season draws close to an end, the Redbirds will look to pick up several key conference victories down the stretch to try and improve their MVC tournament standings.

For all things Redbird basketball, stay tuned to wznd.com.