Fifth-seeded Illinois State (19-13) ended No. 12 seed Missouri State’s final Missouri Valley Conference season with a 70-54 win in the second game of first-round action at the 2025 State Farm MVC Tournament Thursday afternoon at Enterprise Center.
Illinois State advanced to the quarterfinal round Friday for a 2:30 pm matchup versus fourth-seeded Belmont (21-10) at Enterprise Center. Illinois State split its regular-season series versus Belmont in a pair of tight games, winning 81-78 Jan. 29 at home after dropping a 99-97, overtime decision Dec. 4 in Nashville.
In Cuonzo Martin’s return season as Missouri State head coach, the Bears end their final Missouri Valley Conference season with a 9-23 overall record, sliding to the finish on a six-game losing streak.
Johnny Kinzinger led five Illinois State players in double figures by scoring all his 13 points in the first half. Dalton Banks added to the balanced ISU attack with 12 points, followed by Chase Walker with 11, Malachi Poindexter with 11 and Landon Wolf with 10.
Vincent Brady II and Michael Osei-Bonsu paced Missouri State’s offense, each with 10 points.
Illinois State opened the game by making just one of its first seven field goal attempts, falling behind 9-4, but relied on sophomore guard Johnny Kinzinger to keep the Redbirds in the game early. Kinzinger scored each of ISU’s first three field goals, pulling Illinois State to within 11-9 on a driving layup with 14:00 remaining in the first half after sinking a pair of 3-pointers.
A turnaround jumper by Ty Pence with 11:22 left in the half gave Illinois State its first lead, 17-16. Although Missouri State went scoreless for 6-minutes, 42-seconds through the middle of the first half, the Redbirds were unable to gain much separation until making six consecutive field goal attempts during a 13-2 run on the way a 34-21 lead with 1:52 left in the half. Pence scored a fast-break layup at the halftime buzzer for a 38-23 advantage at the break.
The streak of consecutive made field goal attempts by the Redbirds reached nine in a row before Kinzinger missed a 3-point try with 17:15 remaining in the second half. The Redbirds held a 43-29 lead when the field goal streak ended.
A run of four turnovers and two rejected shots in six Illinois State possessions breathed some life into a Missouri State comeback attempt as the Bears closed to 45-33 with 13:00 remaining, but the Redbirds got 3-point baskets from Poindexter and Wolf on its next two possessions to push the lead back to 16, 51-35, with 11:45 remaining. Another Wolf triple with 9:28 left pushed the lead to 54-35 and after Poindexter’s “and-1” layup with 8:46 left gave the Redbirds a 21-point lead, 56-35, the Bears never threatened the rest of the way.
