Illinois State upsets No. 25 Dayton
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Normal, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Daishon Knight had 20 points and pulled down six rebounds as Illinois State slipped past No. 25 Dayton, 81-75.
Bobby Hunter scored 16 points and had five steals, while Zach Lofton gave 13 points for the Redbirds (5-4), who have won their past four games.
Vee Sanford scored 14 points with five rebounds and Jordan Sibert had 13 points and six boards for the Flyers (7-2), who had won their previous two.
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Illinois State scored the first six points of this game as the team never trailed in the first half.
A 3-pointer from Lofton 6 1/2 minutes in staked the team to a 15-8 lead, and he completed a 3-point play later in the first half for a 27-18 lead with just over six minutes to play.
Taking a 39-32 lead into the break, Knight hit a 3-pointer to start the second half for Illinois State, but Dayton made a move later in the half.
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Four straight 3-pointers by the Flyers gave them a 50-48 lead with under 13 minutes to play after a Sanford trey.
The lead was short-lived, though, as Lofton followed with a bucket and Nick Zeisloft hit a three to give the Redbirds the lead back.
The Flyers later trailed by one, 56-55, after a Scoochie Smith jumper with 9 1/2 minutes to play, but Illinois State scored the next six points to create some distance.
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Following a bucket from Jalen Robinson, Illinois State scored the next seven points with Hunter's two free throws with six minutes to play giving the team a 69-57 lead.
Dayton didn't get any closer than six the rest of the way as Illinois State secured the minor upset.
Game Notes
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Illinois State has off until Dec. 16 when it will play in Oakland ... Dayton plays next Saturday against Central Michigan ... Dayton still leads the series, 4-3.