The Illinois State Redbirds beat the Central State Marauders 100-55 on Thursday night at CEFCU Arena. Malik Messina-Moore and Nick Allen each scored 18 points.
Illinois State never trailed and the game never had a tie. The Redbirds led 42-29 in the first half, then scored 18 straight points to go up 60-29. They took a 56-29 lead into halftime and outscored Central State 44-26 after the break. The lead peaked at 52.
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Messina-Moore made 4 of 6 shots, all from 3-point range, and went 6-of-9 at the free-throw line. He added 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes. Allen came off the bench and went 7-of-7 from the field in 15 minutes. Johnny Kinziger hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and 5 assists.
Illinois State shot 33-of-53 (62%) and made 16 of 30 3-pointers. The Redbirds had 23 assists against 10 turnovers. They outrebounded Central State 35-24 and held edges of 34-22 in points in the paint and 22-6 in fast-break points.
Dimaunye Smith-Powe led Central State with 16 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting, with 5 rebounds. Torrion Stevenson added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. The Marauders shot 23-of-53 (43%) and committed 17 turnovers.
Illinois State is 1-1.
