NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State shot 55 percent from the field to lead the Redbirds to an 81-64 win over UTSA men's basketball, on Tuesday afternoon at Redbird Arena.
UTSA (6-6) fell victim to the hot-shooting outing from Illinois State (8-5), as the Redbirds got 21 points and 10 rebounds from leading scorer Antonio Reeves in the win. ISU held an 11-point margin at halftime and outscored UTSA 42-36 in the final period, shooting 59.3 percent in the second half.
Dhieu Deing, a junior guard out of High Point, N.C., had 14 points and five rebounds. Jacob Germany, a 6-foot-11 center, had a team-leading 17 points and five rebounds. Cedrick Alley Jr. finished with nine points and six boards.
The Roadrunners were held to 37.9 percent in the game, including a 3 of 20 mark from 3-point range. UTSA lost the battle of the boards, 40-36 but held a 17-11 margin on the offensive glass. ISU held a 21-9 margin in assists and a 36-32 margin in points in the paint.
UTSA will return to action with its conference opening weekend, traveling to face Middle Tennessee on Dec. 30 and UAB on Jan. 1.
Alley opened the scoring with a fadeaway jumper and Deing got on the board following an ISU basket with a wing triple. ISU immediately answered with a triple of its own before Germany finished an and-1 to take an 8-5 lead. After a pair from ISU, Germany drilled a baseline hook shot for a 10-7 lead at the first media break.
Illinois State regained the lead on a putback basket but Germany sank a baseline jumper to give UTSA a 12-11 lead. The Redbirds followed with two consecutive 3-pointers, including one from Josiah Strong. Darius McNeill kissed a free-throw line jumper off the glass to cut the lead to 17-14 but ISU took the lead to 19-14 at the second media break.
After Germany hit a pair at the line, ISU scored six straight to take a 25-16 lead and force a timeout from UTSA head coach Steve Henson. Erik Czumbel finished a driving baseline layup to cut the lead to 25-18 and after an ISU basket, Alley cut the lead back to seven. A 5-0 run saw the lead grow to 12 after Antonio Reeves drilled a step-back 3-pointer. Deing found a missed free throw rebound and finished in the paint to cut the lead to 32-22 with just under four minutes left.
Alley cut the lead to single digits before ISU regained a 34-24 lead. Christian Tucker and Deing finished consecutive baskets to narrow the advantage to six but a 5-0 run for ISU finished the half with a 39-28 lead. ISU shot 52 percent in the first half, holding UTSA to 39 percent, including a 1 of 10 mark from deep. Germany had a team-leading nine points at the break.
Illinois State put the game away in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring a quick five out of the break to build a 16-point lead.
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