KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Illinois State outscored Furman, 9-2, out of halftime as Ty Pence posted a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Redbirds to a 72-65 win over the Furman Paladins in the championship of the Imagination Bracket at the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament. Pence bookended the four quick baskets with a reverse layup and a three-pointer as the Redbirds regained the lead at 42-38 after trailing 36-33 at halftime. Pence went 8-of-12 from the field as he developed as the top catalyst in the Redbirds’ offense in the second half.
Furman freshman guard Alex Wilkins had a game-high 25 points as he helped lead the Paladins to a 49-47 margin with 111:55 remaining. Illinois State used a 14-3 run to take the lead at 60-52 when Pence scored on a fade on the left side of the lane with 8:31 remaining. Furman fought back and seemed to have turned the momentum late in the game when Wilkins scored on a pull-up jumper and on a layup as Furman cleared out the right side of the lane. Coming out of a timeout, Illinois State guard Johnny Kinzinger netted a jumper in the lane with 12 minutes to play to push the margin to 70-65.
The Redbirds shot 46 percent from the floor while Furman checked in at 45 percent. Illinois State outscored Furman, 12-4, on the offensive glass. Chase Walker followed Pence with 14 points as five Redbirds scored in double figures. Ryan O’Neal and Cooper Bowser added 12 points each for Furman. O’Neal made four three-point field goals in the first half.
3rd Place – Imagination Bracket
Richmond 71, Charlotte 66
Key Run: Richmond guard AJ Lopez scored eight points in a 10-2 run to allow the Spiders to take a 58-40 lead over Charlotte with 9:03 to play. The 49ers fought back behind Anton Bonke and Ben Bradford as Bonke tapped back a rebound with 2:03 remaining to cut the game back to 64-59. Major Freeman and Raul Villar made free throws to cut the lead to four inside of a minute, but Lopez stepped up and made three late free throws to push Richmond to the win.
Bradford led all scorers with 18 points, and Lopez led the Spiders with 17. Richmond never trailed as guard Mikkel Tyne hit a three-pointer to give the Spiders a 14-4 lead with 12:57 remaining in the first half. The Spiders outrebounded the 49ers, 37-28, and 34 points came from the bench as Jaden Daughtry scored 15 points.