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Strong second half lifts Illinois State past Illinois-Chicago in MVC opener

CHICAGO — Darius Burford scored a team-high 20 points and Dalton Banks had all 19 of his points in the second half Thursday as Illinois State downed Illinois-Chicago 69-64 in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.

ISU (4-3) trailed by as much as 13 (32-19) in the first half and faced a 36-30 halftime deficit.

Darius Burford vs. Illinois-Chicago
Illinois State's Darius Burford goes up for a shot against Illinois-Chicago on Thursday in Chicago.

“It was a hard-fought game with a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs,” ISU coach Ryan Pedon said.