Justin Clark scored a career-high 20 points and Jackie Carmichael added 11 as Illinois State held off Tennessee State 73-68 Wednesday night.
Clark was 6 of 12 from 3-pointer range and Carmichael collected seven rebounds for the Redbirds (2-0), who have won 25-straight against teams from the Ohio Valley.
The Tigers (1-2) had five players score in double figures, led by Wil Peters and Patrick Miller with 14 each.
Illinois State led 43-26 at halftime and pushed its lead to 22 early in the second half before Tennessee State rallied. The Tigers shot 54.8 percent after halftime and cut the lead to three twice in the final 1:11 but couldn't get any closer.
Kenny Moore added 11 points for Tennessee State while Robert Covington and Chris Conner each had 10.
All nine players who saw action for the Redbirds scored.
