Illinois State defeats Kent State 79-58 in NIT

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Landon Wolf had 24 points in Illinois State’s 79-58 win against Kent State on Wednesday in the NIT.

Wolf also contributed seven rebounds for the Redbirds (21-12). Chase Walker scored 19 points while going 8 of 11 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and 1 for 3 from the line. Johnny Kinziger had 11 points and shot 3 for 8 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.

Morgan Safford led the Golden Flashes (24-10) in scoring, finishing with 19 points. Rob Whaley Jr. added 13 points and four assists for Kent State. Jahari Williamson finished with 11 points.

Illinois State took the lead with 15:04 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Wolf led his team in scoring with 18 points in the first half to help put them up 45-25 at the break. Illinois State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend an 18-point lead to 26 points. Walker led the way with a team-high nine second-half points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up