DALLAS - There was no yelling. No high-fives, either, as Illinois State's basketball team slowly walked up the stairs to its locker room after Friday night's game against Alabama State. | MVC scores, stats | Gameday glance

"It felt like a loss. I thought I was walking into a losing locker room," said ISU coach Tim Jankovich.

The Redbirds built a 22-point lead against Alabama State with 14 minutes left in the first game of the SMU Tip-Off Classic. The Hornets put on a huge rally, cutting the gap to two inside the last minute before ISU hung on for a 77-71 victory at Moody Coliseum.

Against a team with a center named Kickingstallionsims, the Redbirds nearly got kicked in the gut.

"I was stunned we let them come back," said ISU senior guard Emmanuel Holloway. "They're a good team, but we started playing outside of our element. We did get on our heels."

With the Redbirds ahead, 73-71, Lloyd Phillips hit both ends of a one-and-bonus with 13 seconds left to give ISU some breathing room. Alabama State missed a 3-pointer as Dinma Odiakosa grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Odiakosa sank two free throws for the final margin.

"I didn't feel like we were going to lose the game," said ISU senior Champ Oguchi. "We have a lot of veterans who weren't going to let it slip. I didn't get nervous."

Osiris Eldridge and Oguchi paced the Redbirds with 16 points each. Phillips added 15 points, while Odiakosa scored 13 in only 18 minutes because of foul trouble.

The Redbirds (2-0) face Houston Baptist (0-3) at 5 p.m. today. Host Southern Methodist downed Houston Baptist, 79-60, in Friday night's second game. ISU will play SMU in the tourney finale Sunday.

Alabama State (1-1) shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and outscored ISU, 49-37.

"They kept fighting, and we lost a little bit of our edge. We got complacent," said Oguchi, a native Texan. "… We learned a lesson for the rest of the season."

The Redbirds held Alabama State to 32 percent shooting in the first half. ISU, which enjoyed a 20-1 run, sank six of 14 from outside the arc in building a 40-22 halftime lead.

Jankovich, though, was skeptical. The Hornets' big center with the unusual name, Chief Kickingstallionsims, played only six minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls.

"The first half was a little bit of a false sense of security because the 7-1 guy was on the bench the whole time. The lane was a normal lane," said Jankovich. "The second half the lane was his. … Now all the pressure goes to jump shooting, and we got a little cold."

When Oguchi released a 3-point attempt early in the second half, Alabama State coach Lewis Jackson started to beg.

"Miss one," said Jackson.

Oguchi didn't. When Eldridge sank a short runner in the lane two minutes later, ISU enjoyed a 54-32 cushion. But before anyone could say rout, the athletic Hornets fought back.

Guard Brandon Brooks and forward Andrew Hayles began heating up. Hayles' 3-pointer with 9:04 left cut ISU's lead to single digits at 56-47.

"They had nothing to lose. They were aggressive," said Holloway.

ISU finally looked in the clear when Holloway sank a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and then passed to Odiakosa for a layup on an inbound play under the basket. That put the Redbirds in front, 70-61, with 1:15 left.

Alabama State made one final push. Brooks bombed in consecutive 3-pointers, cutting the gap to 73-71 with 23 seconds left. The Hornets were forced to foul, and Phillips calmly sank two free throws.

"I'll tell you it wasn't a fun game to sit through, but it was probably as good a game for us as it could possibly be. It was the best thing to happen," said Jankovich. "A lot of lessons were learned tonight. It would have been a real tough pill to swallow if we managed to give the game away late, but our guys fought through it and made some good plays down the stretch."

---

Report card

FRONT COURT: C

Once again, Dinma Odiakosa played limited minutes because of foul trouble. Odiakosa and Brandon Sampay may never face anyone as big in the post again this season as Chief Kickingstallionsims.

BACKCOURT: B -

The Redbirds' defense let Alabama State, particularly Brandon Brooks, get inside the lane too easily in the second half. ISU used some zone in second half with limited effect.

BENCH: C -

Tim Jankovich wanted to play the bench more, but couldn't when the score got tight down the stretch. Freshman Jeremy Robinson saw his first action and can't be redshirted now.

OVERALL: C

ISU played well for the first 25 minutes before almost letting one slip away. That's two games in a row the Redbirds have let double-digit leads almost evaporate. That needs to stop.

---

High School Basketball Pick 'Em

Think you know everything about high school basketball? Challenge your friends or other online users by picking the winners of each week's games. Sign up here.