Lee, Illinois State top No. 21 Wichita State 58-53
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Illinois State was down by 16 against No. 21 Wichita State when Paris Lee took over.
Lee scored 13 of his career-high 19 points in the second half, helping the Redbirds rally for a 58-53 victory over the Shockers on Saturday night.
"Paris was outstanding," Illinois State coach Dan Muller said. "They really couldn't stop him in the second half."
Deontae Hawkins had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois State (14-11, 8-4 Missouri Valley), which erased a 16-point deficit in the second half.
The Redbirds earned their fifth win in six games despite shooting 27.3 percent (15 for 55) from the field. Starting forward MiKyle McIntosh missed each of his 10 shots.
"This game really told the team we can compete with anybody," Lee said. "It just shows us how good of a team we can be."
Wichita State (17-6, 11-1) had won 12 in a row. Shaquille Morris and Ron Baker each scored 10 points for the Shockers, who shot 35.2 percent (19 for 54).
Wichita State had a 12-point lead at the break, and a layup for Evan Wessel and Baker's jumper made it 37-21 early in the second half.
But Illinois State used an 11-0 run to close to 38-35 on Nick Banyard's 3-pointer. Banyard had a tying dunk with 10:11 to go and Hawkins' 3-pointer lifted the Redbirds to a 44-41 lead.
Lee made four big foul shots in the final three minutes, and the Illinois State crowd stormed the court to celebrate when it was over.
"It didn't feel real," Lee said of the crowd's reaction. "It was fun. It's dangerous, but it's fun."
The Redbirds went 22 for 26 at the free-throw line, compared to 9 for 15 for the Shockers. Illinois State also enjoyed a 46-35 rebounding advantage.
"They got to the foul line way too many times," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell had 12 points and nine boards for Illinois State.
TIP-INS
Wichita State: The Shockers went 6 for 27 from 3-point range. Baker was 1 for 7 from beyond the arc, and Fred VanVleet was 1 for 6. ... Morris has scored in double figures in five of Wichita State's last six games.
Illinois State: The Redbirds have defeated a Top 25 team in each of the last five seasons.
UP NEXT
Wichita State visits Drake on Tuesday.
Illinois State visits Evansville on Thursday.
STAR SEASON
Akoon-Purcell has scored in double digits in 24 of Illinois State's 25 games. He is averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game.