NORMAL, Ill. – Led by four players in double-figure scoring, the Illinois State Redbirds cruised past the Drake University men's basketball team, 81-45, Wednesday evening at Redbird Arena. Drake was held to just six baskets in the second half and shot 24 percent in the period.

Chris Caird (Daventry, England) led Drake (3-12, 0-3 MVC) with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four three-pointers. Trevor Berkeley (Tucker, Ga.) added nine points while freshman Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) had eight points and three assists.

Homestanding Illinois State (9-6, 1-2 MVC) shot 56.6 percent from the field with Daishon Knight scoring 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. MiKyle McIntosh had 10 points and nine rebounds to lead a Redbird effort that recorded a 38-21 advantage on the glass.

“Illinois State is talented at every position and we have four freshman and a sophomore on the court right now,” said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. “It's going to take some time to put together a team that will be competitive. I wish I could wiggle my nose and change it. It's hard to swallow and sit through a game like that, but I give Illinois State a lot of credit.”

Drake endured an early 4-minute scoring drought as Illinois State built up a 16-10 lead in the first six minutes of the game. The Redbirds' man-to-man defense during that span helped key a 16-2 run to give ISU a 20-10 lead one minute later as ISU scored on 4-of-5 possessions toward the end of the run.

Berkeley ended that ISU spurt with his third three-pointer of the season as three of the Bulldogs' first five baskets were from behind the arc including a pair from Caird to open the game.

The Redbirds later blew the game open in the first half via a 13-0 run capped by three-straight three-pointers, including two from Justin McCloud,  to take a 36-16 lead with 4:48 left in the half. Caird snapped the run with his third three-pointer of the period, but ISU added to its tally to take a 45-23 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs fared no better in the second half with Redbirds assembling a 24-2 run that spanned nearly eight minutes to extend their lead to a game-high 44 points, 75-31, with 7:08 left in the contest.

Drake returns home on Saturday, Jan. 10 in search of its first MVC win of the season when it hosts No. 23 UNI at 3:05 p.m. The contest will be televised on MVC TV affiliates.