Redbirds Use Late Push to Topple Cougars

NORMAL, Ill. – Three players reached double-figure scoring, as Illinois State used a late push to move past Chicago State 75-71 on Tuesday evening in a game of the on-campus games portion of the Cayman Islands Classic.

How It Happened

The Redbirds scored five of the first seven points of the game, and ISU's lead grew to as many as 13 on a three-pointer by Josh Jefferson with 7:28 to play in the opening half, before Chicago State cut the gap to 10 heading into the locker room at halftime.

The visiting Cougars started chipping away at the deficit and ran off a 13-0 run to take a six-point, 68-62 lead with just over four minutes to play in the game. The Redbird defense tightened, and ISU closed…