Final
Wichita State avoids shocker against Illinois State
Jan 5, 2015 - 1:02 AM Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Ron Baker scored 15 points, Darius Carter added 14 and No. 16 Wichita State held off upset-minded Illinois State, 70-62, on Sunday.Wichita State (12-2, 2-0 MVC) recorded its 20th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference win and 24th in row at home, but not without being tested.
The Redbirds stayed competitive even though they shot 36.5 percent from the floor. They were within two with under four minutes left, but the Shockers, who made 52.3 percent of their shots, pulled away with a 10-3 run.
Daishon Knight carried the offensive load for Illinois State (8-6, 0-2), totaling 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting.
Wichita State led most of the first half and went into the break with a 29-23 advantage after Tekele Cotton beat the shot clock with a mid-range jumper in the waning seconds.
Cotton's 3-pointer appeared to give the Shockers some breathing room with 5 1/2 minutes left, but buckets by Knight and Will Ransom shrunk the deficit back to one possession at 55-52.
An alley-oop slam by Cotton off an inbounds pass lit a fire under the home fans, only for Knight to silence them with a 3-pointer the next time down.
Illinois State called a timeout after Knight's momentum-killing bucket, but the Shockers regrouped on the bench and took over down the stretch.
Fred VanVleet drilled a 3-pointer out of the break, Shaquille Morris scored on the right block and Wichita State made 8-of-10 from the foul line over the final two minutes to preserve the victory.
Game Notes
VanVleet and Cotton both finished with 12 points ... Illinois State trailed at halftime just once in its previous 13 games ... The Redbirds owned a 32-27 rebounding advantage thanks to 14 offensive boards ... Wichita State has won six straight meetings.
- ILLINOIS STATE: 62
WICHITA STATE: 70
Final
Jan 4 7:52 PM - 80
rootsRUWTbot Took away 20 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 55, Wichita State(16) 62 2nd - 2:49Jan 4 7:35 PM - 100
rootsRUWTbot Took away 100 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 55, Wichita State(16) 60 2nd - 3:25Jan 4 7:34 PM - 200
rootsRUWTbot Added 118 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 55, Wichita State(16) 57 2nd - 3:52Jan 4 7:33 PM - 82
rootsRUWTbot Took away 82 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 52, Wichita State(16) 57 2nd - 4:08Jan 4 7:32 PM - 164
rootsRUWTbot Added 8 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 52, Wichita State(16) 55 2nd - 4:24Jan 4 7:30 PM - 156
rootsRUWTbot Added 82 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 52, Wichita State(16) 55 2nd - 4:44Jan 4 7:30 PM - 74
rootsRUWTbot Added 14 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 50, Wichita State(16) 55 2nd - 5:12Jan 4 7:29 PM - 90
roots - 84
rootsRUWTbot Took away 66 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 48, Wichita State(16) 52 2nd - 6:17Jan 4 7:27 PM - 150
rootsRUWTbot Added 18 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 48, Wichita State(16) 50 2nd - 6:38Jan 4 7:27 PM - 132
rootsRUWTbot Added 8 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 47, Wichita State(16) 50 2nd - 6:38Jan 4 7:26 PM - 124
rootsRUWTbot Took away 16 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 47, Wichita State(16) 50 2nd - 7:26Jan 4 7:25 PM - 140
rootsRUWTbot Added 10 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 47, Wichita State(16) 49 2nd - 7:26Jan 4 7:24 PM - 130
rootsRUWTbot Added 18 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 47, Wichita State(16) 49 2nd - 7:51Jan 4 7:23 PM - 112
rootsRUWTbot Added 47 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Illinois State 46, Wichita State(16) 49 2nd - 7:51Jan 4 7:23 PM - 65
roots - 60
rootsRUWTbot Added 20 roots (Close Finish)
Illinois State 45, Wichita State(16) 49 2nd - 8:21Jan 4 7:20 PM - 90
roots - 80
roots - 80
roots - 70
roots - 60
roots - ILLINOIS STATE: 23
WICHITA STATE: 29
Halftime
Jan 4 6:28 PM - ILLINOIS STATE: 0
WICHITA STATE: 0
1st Half - 20:00
Jan 4 5:36 PM
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