Illinois State Redbirds @ Drake Bulldogs
Illinois St. 94, Drake 86
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Tyler Brown had 25 points, nine assists and four steals as Illinois State rallied late to defeat Drake 94-86 Wednesday night.
Jackie Carmichael added 23 points and John Wilkins had 18 for the Redbirds (14-10, 5-7 Missouri Valley), who have won five of their last six games after starting out 0-6 in conference play.
Richard Carter had 17 points and six assists, and Chris Hines scored 16 for Drake (11-12, 5-7), which had defeated the Redbirds 82-77 earlier this year.
Illinois State trailed by 17 points in the first half and didn't take its first lead until Jon Ekey hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining to put the Redbirds ahead 85-84. That shot came amid 13 straight points by Illinois State that turned an 84-78 deficit into a 91-84 lead with 22 seconds left.
Drake led 51-40 at halftime after hitting 9 of 20 3-pointers in the opening period. The Bulldogs finished 12 of 28 beyond the arc.
Game Information
Des Moines, IA
Referee:Paul Janssen
Referee:Verne Harris
Referee:Rick Randall
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |




