NORMAL, Ill. (AP) DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was 8 of 11 from the floor and scored 20 points as Illinois State dominated the second half to claim a 72-56 victory over Houston Baptist in the second round of the Cancun Classic on Saturday night.
Deontae Hawkins added 13 points for the Redbirds (2-2). Paris Lee had six points and five assists.
Houston Baptist (1-3), trailing 28-26 at the break, was still close in the second half until Nick Banyard nailed a 3-point jumper to start a 16-5 run to lead 57-41 with 8:41 left in the game. The Huskies never challenged again.
The Redbirds turned up the heat in the second half, forcing the Huskies into 23 turnovers for the game.
Illinois State was 29 of 59 (49.2%) from the floor while limiting the Huskies to 18 of 51 (35.3%).
Josh Ibarra had 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots for Houston Baptist.
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