Burford’s big basket helps Illinois State hold off Murray State

The Illinois State basketball coach also remembers it didn’t work.

“We brought a ball screener close to him. They (the defense) switched and it sort of slowed Darius in getting to the rim,” said Pedon. “I know Darius wanted that one back. We went right back to him today and put him in space.”

Burford nailed the turnaround jumper in the lane with 20 seconds left Sunday as the Redbirds held off Murray State 76-72 before a CEFCU Arena crowd of 3,946.

“He’s a tremendous isolation player. When he has space, I think he’s high level,” Pedon said of Burford. “They stopped his initial progress. He turned, he got to his spot and he got a shot he’s very comfortable with.”

Luke Kasubke and Dalton Banks each sank two free throws in the final seconds as the Redbirds improved to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time in six seasons.

“I think it’s great,” said Banks. “The biggest thing for us is we want to continue to learn from winning, turn this thing around and establish a culture that’s elite. It’s a great feeling. It’s one we feel like we deserve and worked for.”

ISU constructed double digits leads in each half (15-4 and 48-35). Murray State (3-4, 1-1 MVC) led only once at 33-32 late in the first half.

“The first four minutes of both halves was a big difference. I think we were minus 17 from that standpoint,” Racers coach Steve Prohm said. “Credit Illinois State. They did a really good job defensively. The ball’s got to really hop and move. It can’t stick. I thought we left a lot of empty possessions out there.

After scoring nine points in four games earlier this season, ISU’s Kendall Lewis notched his first double figure output with a team-high 14.

“It was just finding my open shots, taking my time, slowing down,” Lewis said. “My teammates find me and when they find me I do what I do.”

Lewis did not miss a shot Sunday, going 5 of 5 from the field, 2 of 2 from beyond the arc and 2 of 2 at the free throw line.

Myles Foster and Burford delivered 12 points each, Kasubke added 11 and Malachi Poindexter.

With Lewis and Kasubke doing most of the heavy lifting, ISU held Murray State standout Rob Perry to 15 points, slightly under his 16.2 average. Four of Perry’s points came late when he was fouled while banking in a desperation 3-pointer and sank the add on free throw.

“He’s a great player. He’s very experienced in this league. He had a lot of confidence shooting the ball,” said Kasubke. “Kendall did a great job on him. He set the tone early. I had to follow suit. It’s just having a chip on your shoulder and taking things personally. You don’t want people to score on you.”

“With Kendall and Luke, I saw a pretty high level attention to detail,” Pedon said. “His (Perry) air space is very important to him in his scoring. He’s a born scorer. We were trying to keep fresh bodies on him as much as we could.”

Reserve guard Quincy Anderson was the Racers’ offensive star with 27 points and 6 of 9 3-point shooting. Anderson, who averaged 17.8 points in 2021-22, was scoring at just a 5.3 clip before Sunday.

Wisconsin transfer Jordan Davis did not play for the Redbirds for the second straight game. Davis has scored 12 points in six outings this season.

“He’s fine. Those are coach’s decision,” Pedon said. “I’ve been very transparent with him. I think he’s got to play better. He’s been very accountable. He’s a very mature young man. I applaud the way he’s responded. I don’t want him to be happy he’s not playing. I don’t expect him to be happy. Sometimes there’s an adjustment period.”

The ISU coach emphasized he has not given up on Davis.

“This is not a program where coaches get down on players, not a program where guys get buried and you never hear from them again,” said Pedon. “I really have confidence in him and how he can help our team win, and I expect him to be a part of that. Players determine their minutes.”

ISU canned all 11 of its attempts at the free throw line.

That is tied for the seventh most foul shots the Redbirds have made without a miss in school history.

Burford and Lewis were both presented with commemorative basketballs before the game for reaching the 1,000-point career milestone.

Burford, who transferred to ISU from Elon, hit 1,000 on Nov. 6. A former Appalachian State player, Lewis scored his 1,000th point on Nov. 15.

ISU fifth-year center Ryan Schmitt did not dress for the second straight game.

Schmitt remains in concussion protocol.

The Redbirds have two more home contests in the coming week with Northern Kentucky headed to CEFCU Arena for a 7 p.m. matchup Wednesday.

On Saturday, ISU returns to its old stomping grounds for the second straight season. The Redbirds face Norfolk State in a 6 p.m. game at Horton Field House.