NORMAL, Ill. – Led by a career-high 29 points from junior guard Antonio Reeves, the Illinois State redbirds went from trailing by 15 points with five minutes to play in the first half to leading by as many as eight in the second half in a 68-63 season-opening win on Tuesday evening.
Reeves made 9-of-15 shots from the field and 5-of-8 from long range en route to his 29 points. He also pulled down six rebounds, dished out three assists and added three blocked shots in the winning effort. Mark Freeman reached double-figure scoring in his Redbird opener with 11 points, including a stellar 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, as Sy Chatman and Josiah Strong each added nine points.