Illinois State Falls in Paradise Jam Finale

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – The Illinois State Redbirds got a career-high-tying 21 points from senior guard Zach Copeland, but it wasn't enough as ISU fell in its 2019 Paradise Jam finale by a 68-63 score to Grand Canyon on Monday afternoon.

How it Happened

After Grand Canyon struck first in the game, the Redbirds rattled off five consecutive points with a dunk by Matt Chastain and a three-pointer by Antonio Reeves to push ISU to a 5-2 lead. The Antelopes caught fire over the next five minutes, out-scoring the Redbirds 16-2 during the span, and pushing ahead to an 18-7 lead with 11:16 to play in the opening stanza. ISU fought back with an immediate 10-0 run to close the gap to one, and…