CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — A couple weeks ago, Kendall Lewis collided with Illinois State teammate Alex Kotov during practice. Lewis came out on the short end of the mishap.
"AK just headbutted me. He ran into me with his head and just gashed me open," said Lewis, who needed 13 stitches to close the wound under his right eye. "They had to put some (stitches) outside and inside."
Lewis didn't miss a game.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound junior forward's toughness has never been in question. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Lewis picked up his game Wednesday during the Redbirds' first action without second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Sy Chatman.