KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Winning the program's first in-season Multi-Team Event title since the 2010-11 season, the Illinois State Redbirds topped the Furman Paladins by a score of 72-65 behind a career-high 20 points from tournament MVP Ty Pence, who also grabbed 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After seeing Furman score the opening basket of the game, the Redbirds scored five straight, and would hold their lead until the last minute of the opening half. ISU's lead grew to as large as 10 on an 8-0 Redbird run, before the Paladins started chipping away at the deficit, using a late 10-0 run to take a 36-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.