ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A strong second half was not enough to overcome a slow opening 20 minutes, as the Illinois State Redbirds closed play at the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 76-63 loss to Belmont on Friday afternoon.

Dalton Banks stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 19 points, and had seven assists, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots. He is one of two players in the NCAA this season with a game of 19 points, seven assists, three steals, and three blocked shots. Johnny Kinziger added a dozen points for the Redbirds in the loss.

The Bruins jumped out to a 9-2 lead and did not trail over the course of the game. Belmont extended its first-half lead to as many as 23 points, taking a 41-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Five consecutive points to open the second half extended the lead to its high-mark of 28 before the Redbirds started chipping away at the deficit. ISU used runs of 8-0, 5-0, 7-0, and 4-0 to climb back with 11 points, but could not get the margin back to single-digits in the 13-point loss.

The Redbirds made 35.8 percent of their shots in the game (24-of-67), and 22.2 percent (8-of-36) from long range.

Belmont was led by Tyler Lundblade who scored 14 points and Carter Whitt 14, while Jonathan Pierre, Isaiah Walker, Brody Peebles, and Sam Orme each scored 11 points.