Illinois State Redbirds vs Missouri State Bears
Illinois State defeats Missouri State 70-54 in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
ST. LOUIS -- — Johnny Kinziger had 13 points in Illinois State's 70-54 victory against Missouri State on Thursday in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Illinois State (19-13) plays No. 4 seed Belmont on Friday in the quarterfinals.
Kinziger added six rebounds for the Redbirds. Dalton Banks added 12 points while going 5 of 9 from the floor, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and 1 for 3 from the line while he also had eight assists. Chase Walker shot 4 of 10 from the field and 3 for 5 from the line to finish with 11 points.
The Bears (9-23) were led in scoring by Vincent Brady II and Michael Osei-Bonsu with 10 points apiece.
Illinois State took the lead with 9:33 left in the first half and did not give it up. Kinziger led his team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 38-23 at the break. Illinois State extended its lead to 56-35 during the second half, fueled by an 8-0 scoring run. Malachi Poindexter scored a team-high 11 points in the second half.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Kelly Self
- Gene Grimshaw
- Ervin Wilson
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State | 0-0 | - | 6-1 |
| Kennesaw State | 0-0 | - | 6-2 |
| Liberty | 0-0 | - | 5-2 |
| Western Kentucky | 0-0 | - | 5-2 |
| Middle Tennessee | 0-0 | - | 5-3 |
| Sam Houston | 0-0 | - | 5-3 |
| Florida International | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
| Louisiana Tech | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
| Missouri State | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
| Jacksonville State | 0-0 | - | 3-4 |
| UTEP | 0-0 | - | 3-4 |
| Delaware | 0-0 | - | 2-5 |
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 0-0 | - | 8-1 |
| Northern Iowa | 0-0 | - | 7-1 |
| Illinois State | 0-0 | - | 7-2 |
| Drake | 0-0 | - | 6-3 |
| Murray State | 0-0 | - | 6-3 |
| Valparaiso | 0-0 | - | 5-3 |
| Bradley | 0-0 | - | 5-4 |
| Indiana State | 0-0 | - | 5-4 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-0 | - | 5-4 |
| UIC | 0-0 | - | 4-4 |
| Evansville | 0-0 | - | 4-5 |

