Dec. 19, 2006

Box Score

NORMAL, Ill. - Brandon Dagans impressed an Illinois State crowd Tuesday night by scoring a game-high 25 points in Lewis' 85-66 loss to the Division I Redbirds.

Dagans tied his career high of four 3-pointers (4-of-7) and, for a second time this season, went 11-of-11 at the free-throw line. The foul-shooting performance is the best by a Great Lakes Valley Conference player this season.

Matthew Marino tied his season best of 10 points and added four assists for the Flyers (5-5), who recorded an assist on 18 of their 21 field goals. Branden Hunter tallied a season-high four assists.

Dagans and Stephan Bolt led the Flyer rebounding effort with five boards apiece, and Keelan Donald collected a season-high four caroms. Lewis outrebounded the much-taller Redbirds 16-13 in the second half and finished the game with a deficit of only two (30-28) on the glass.

The game was tied 6-6 after Marino and Dagans hit 3-pointers on the Flyers' first two possessions.

Illinois State (7-4) gradually pulled away and built a 47-28 cushion with 3:03 left on the first-half clock. But Donald hit a 3-pointer, Dagans sank two free throws and Hunter buried a 3-pointer in an 8-0 Lewis run that sliced the ISU lead to 47-36 at the break.

Bolt's bucket on the Flyers' initial second-half possession made it 47-38. However, ISU's Anthony Slack answered with two of his team-high 22 points seconds later to give the Redbirds a double-digit advantage for good.

The Flyers shot 50 percent (21-of-42) overall and a season-best 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from 3-point distance. ISU finished at 53.4 percent (31-of-58) overall and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from beyond the arc.

Boo Richardson posted 20 points and 11 assists, Greg Dilligard scored 13 points and Dom Johnson added 11 points and five assists for ISU.

The Flyers return to action Friday with a non-conference home contest against Olivet Nazarene. Game time is 7 p.m.