Illinois State beats Missouri State 74-61 in MVC opener

Dec 30, 2015, 11:29 pm

NORMAL, Ill. -- Deontae Hawkins scored a season-high 17 points, making all five of his 3-point attempts, and Illinois State used a strong second half to pull away from Missouri State 74-61 Wednesday night in a Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.

Illinois State (7-7) made 15 3-pointers to set a school record.

Roland Griffin's 3 with 14:20 to play put the Redbirds up 39-37. Dequon Miller responded with a 3 for Missouri State before Hawkins' 3 immediately after gave Illinois State the lead for good.

Hawkins' 3 sparked a 23-2 run which Missouri State would never recover from. Hawkins hit four 3s during the offensive eruption while Tony Wills added another.

Dequon Miller scored 17 points for Missouri State (4-9), which led 21-8 early before the Redbirds cut the deficit to 27-25 at halftime.