Making history should never be easy, and it wasn’t for a while Monday night for Illinois State.
The Redbirds shook off nemesis Southwest Missouri State in the final 6 minutes to defeat the Bears for the first time in three tries this season.
In the process, the Redbirds became the first team in Missouri Valley Conference history to capture both the regular-season title and postseason tournament in consecutive seasons.
With its 84-74 victory, ISU also earned the distinction of being only the second team to repeat as MVC tournament champion. Southern Illinois won three straight from 1993-95. The Redbirds’ automatic bid from last year’s tournament title set them up for a first-round fade against Iowa State, and a goal coming to St. Louis was to keep doubt and memory out of any NCAA deliberations.
LeRoy Watkins led ISU with 18 points. Dan Muller added 17.
Illinois State (24-5), which shot 66 and 59 percent in its two previous victories, stayed hot with 55 percent shooting in the first half but could not shake Southwest Missouri State (16-16), which stayed within six points or less until the final 8 minutes.
ISU got off to a 14-7 lead with a 9-0 burst in the opening minutes and showed the benefits of coach Kevin Stallings’ work to save their legs in a semifinal blowout. The Bears were forced to sit center Danny Moore early after Moore, who scored 21 and 26 points in the Bears’ two defeats of Illinois State this season, wore down from a sprained left ankle and a collapsing Redbirds zone clearly intent on forcing someone else to beat them.
Someone else almost did. With MVC player of the year Rico Hill ineffective much of the first half, the Bears outscored ISU 9-2 in a minute to catch the Redbirds at 36-36 before guard Steve Hansell scored at the buzzer for a two-point ISU lead at halftime.
