Illinois
State Wins Imagination Bracket, Richmond defeats Charlotte in consolation game
KISSIMMEE,
FL-Illinois State captured the 2025 Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational
Imagination Bracket Title with a 72-65 win over Furman, while Richmond picked
up a 71-66 win over the Charlotte 49ers in the consolation bracket at State
Farm Fieldhouse, concluding a fantastic two days of basketball, which featured
four good basketball games contested between true mid-major programs, with the
largest margin of victory being 10 points.
The
Redbirds, which returned to four starters and entered the season as the
preseason favorite to claim the Missouri Valley Conference title, used their
experience and Midwest grit down the stretch in a close game to claim the win
over the battle-tested Paladins.
Illinois
State shot the ball well in the second half, using a 57% effort to outscore the
Paladins 39-29 in the second half, overcoming what was a 36-33 halftime deficit
to come away with the win, improving to 6-2 overall, while Furman saw its
three-game winning streak come to an end, falling to 4-4.
The
Redbirds were a team built to adapt, and coach Ryan Pedon's team showed it
could both play up-tempo and in the halfcourt, and offered a variety of scoring
options that, if the opposition shut one down, another one always seemingly
found a way to emerge.
While
Boden Skunberg led the Redbirds in their semifinal win over Charlotte, with 22
points and 10 rebounds, in the championship win it was Imagination Bracket MVP
Ty Pence that came up huge for the Redbirds, as he posted a career-high 20
points and 10 boards, and was the player that made key shots down the stretch
to help the Redbirds get baskets when they needed them in crucial moments.
The
Paladins, who got a career-high matching 26 points from true freshman point
guard Alex Wilkins in Thursday's one-point win over Richmond, saw the talented
true freshman point guard pour in 25 more points in Friday's title game to lead
all scorers, as Furman came up just short and fell to 0-2 this season against
Missouri Valley Conference teams. Furman also fell to another of the MVC's top
teams a couple of weeks ago, falling 70-54 in Cedar Falls at Northern Iowa.
With
the game tied, 52-52, just over midway through second half, the Redbirds made
the move that would ultimately put them over the top and come up with the
program's first in-season tournament title since the 2010-11 season, putting
together an 8-0 run, which started with a Cameron Barnes tip-in and ended with
a Ty Pence fade-a-way jumper at the 8:31 mark to give the Redbirds some cushion
with a 60-52 lead.
A
Cooper Bowser tip-in on the other end ended a 2:21 scoring drought for the
Paladins and made it a two-possession game once again, at 60-54.
Over
the next seven minutes, the Redbirds would maintain a 4-8-point advantage on
the scoreboard until a Wilkins running layup on the other end brought the
Paladins back to within three, at 68-65, with 39 seconds remaining.
A
Johny Kinzinger jumper from about 17-feet out with the shot-clock winding
down off a nice set play following a Redbirds timeout, restored a
two-possession lead, at 70-65, with 12 seconds remaining.
Following
Asa Thomas' missed three-pointer on the other end, the Redbirds' Skunberg got
the rebound and was immediately fouled with four seconds remaining, and he
knocked down both double-bonus foul shots to close out the win and create the
final seven-point margin.
Furman
fell behind 16-6 early in the contest, following a Johnny Kinzinger jumper at
the 14:06 mark. After a Bowser two-handed flush on the other end, Skunberg got
a nice feed from backcourt mate Ty'Reek Coleman to knock down a right elbow
three to give the Redbirds their largest lead of the game, at 19-8, with 13:20
remaining.
Furman
would whittle the lead away over the final 10 minutes of the half, and went to
the half with all the momentum, using a stretch of three made three-pointers by
freshman guard Collin O'Neal over roughly a six-minute stretch, igniting the
Paladin offense, and with a 10-0 run to close the half, the Paladins found
themselves up, 36-33, at the break.
O'Neal's
career-best 12 points came in 17 minutes of work, which included a perfect
4-for-4 shooting effort from three-point range in the game. O'Neal, who
suffered what looked to be a charley horse injury early in the second half and
didn't return to the game, gave Furman some important points off the bench on
an afternoon when two of its veterans--Tom House and Charles Johnston struggled
to make shots on a combined 2-for-8 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point
land --also added four rebounds.
Pence
finished off his career-best effort by connecting on 8-of-12 shots from the
field and 2-for-3 from long-range, while adding 10 rebounds, two assists, one
block and a steal.
He
was one of four ISU players in double figures, as preseason All-MVC selection
and league player of the year candidate Chase Walker added 14 points and four
boards, while Skunberg followed up his season-high 22 points yesterday with 12
and Kinzinger finished with 11 points. Coleman just missed double
figures, finishing with nine points, four assists and a pair of steals, while
turning it over only once.
Wilkins,
who led all scorers in the tournament with 51 points in two games, finished
9-of-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from three-point land and connected on five
of his six charity stripe attempts to equal his game-high total of 25 times. In
addition to his fourth 20+point scoring effort and eighth double-figure effort,
The Mattapan, MA., product added five assists and a block, while turning over
three times.
Wilkins
was one of three Paladins in double figures, as the freshman was joined by
classmate O'Neal and junior Cooper Bowser, who both added 12 points apiece. All
told, freshmen combined to score 37 of Furman's 65 points.
The
Paladins shot the ball at a 45.5% clip for the game (23-of-55) and 36.0%
(6-of-11) from three-point range. Furman was once again not very good at
the free throw line, as the Paladins finished the game just 6-of-11 (54.5%)
from the free throw line and shot less than 50% (15-of-31) in the tournament
from the stripe.
The
Redbirds finished the game connected on 45.6% (26-of-57) from the field 33.3% (8-of-24)
from three-point range.
Furman,
which has now faced three projected conference winners, three 2025 NCAA
Tournament teams (including an exhibition against Alabama), two CBI participant, as well as the CBI champion, and two NIT teams, returns to action by facing its first CAA foe of the season,
heading to the Schaar Center to take on Elon (4-2) on Wednesday evening.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST.
The
Redbirds will be back at home in Normal, Ill., to face Eastern Kentucky (4-2)
Wednesday night for their next game, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST at CEFCU
Arena.
In
the first game of the day, Richmond kept threatening to blow the game open, yet
seemingly every time Charlotte would find its way back into the game. The
Spiders built leads of 12 points in the first half and led by as many as 18 in
the second before having to hold on for a 71-66 win.
With
the Spiders’ win in the consolation game, it improved to 6-1 overall, which
matches its best record through seven games in 21 seasons under head coach
Chris Mooney.
AJ
Lopez posted a team-leading with 17 points, while Jaden Daughtry found his way
into double figures for a second-straight game, finishing with 15 points.
The
game between Charlotte and Richmond was a rekindled, former Atlantic 10 rivalry,
as the Spiders claimed their 11th win in the last 13 meetings with
the 49ers.
Richmond
shot 45.8% (22-of-48) from the field, while the Spiders shot 33.3% (7-of-21) from
three-point range. The Spiders and 49ers shot a combined 58 free throws in what
was a foul-fest, as the two teams combined to commit 41. The Spiders connected
on 58.3% (20-for-34) in the game, while Charlotte finished 66.7% (16-of-24) from
the field.
The
49ers ended up being led by Ben Bradford’s 18 points, while fellow backcourt
mate DeWayne Mingo posted 10. Charlotte finished the game connecting a 43.1%
clip (22-of-51) and 23.1% (6-of-26) from long-range.
Richmond
will return to the floor Wednesday night, with a big road test at Belmont (7-0)
at the Curb Events Center in Nashville, with tip-off for that contest set for
7:30 p.m. EST. Charlotte returns the Queen City and to hardwood action on
Tuesday, Dec. 2 to face off against North Carolina A&T (3-2). Tip-off is
for 7 p.m. EST at Halton Arena.
Mid Major Madness:
G-Alex
Wilkins (Furman)
G-Ty
Pence (Illinois State)
G-Boden
Skunberg (Illinois State)
G-AJ
Lopez (Richmond)
F-Chase
Walker (Illinois State)
Most
Points:
Alex Wilkins (Furman/51 pts in two games)
MVP:
Chase
Walker (Illinois State)
Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events
Invitational Imagination Bracket Scoreboard
Nov.
27, 2025 (State Farm Fieldhouse)
Semifinal No. 1: Furman 73, Richmond 72
Semifinal No. 2 Illinois State 79, Charlotte 69
Nov.
28, 2025 (State Farm Fieldhouse)
CONSOLATION GAME: Richmond 71, Charlotte 66
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Illinois State 72, Furman 65
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