St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Tyler Brown scored a game-high 28 points as
the Illinois State Redbirds recorded a 73-65 win over the Northern Iowa
Panthers in the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at
Scottrade Center.
Brown, who shot 6-of-8 behind the 3-point line, also pulled down nine rebounds
for sixth-seeded Illinois State (18-14) in the victory. Jackie Carmichael
recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding five blocked
shots for good measure. John Wilkins and Johnny Hill both contributed 11
points, the latter also capturing nine boards.
The third-seeded Panthers (18-14) were paced by Marc Sonnen with 16 points,
Anthony James 15, Jake Koch 14 points and Deon Mitchell 10 to go along with
five assists before fouling out.
Illinois State led by as many as 15 points in the first half, shooting 6-of-15
beyond the arc in the frame, but the Panthers battled back as they connected
on 7-of-13 on the perimeter in order to take a 35-34 advantage at the break.
In the second half the lead for UNI went to three in the opening moments, but
the team then converted just 36.7 percent from the floor in the period as the
Redbirds pulled away for the win.
With the victory Illinois State heads to the semifinals to face second-seeded
Wichita State on Saturday, with a spot in the title game on the line.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network