NORMAL, Ill. – Deontae Hawkins reached a career-high in 3-pointers (6) to lead Illinois State (28-6) to an 85-71 victory over UC Irvine (21-15) in the First Round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Wednesday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
Hawkins was just two points shy of tying his career high, scoring 22 points thanks to a perfect 6-for-6 effort from behind the arc and added five rebounds to lead the Redbirds to the victory. He was joined in double figures by fellow senior and 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Paris Lee, who scored 13 points and added seven assists while committing no turnovers.