Lewis and Clark lead ISU past `Jays

16
Daily Vidette
Thursday, January 21, 2010
MBB
REDBIRDS
Today
In Tomorrow’s Issue
71
Women’s Basketball
vs Southern Illinois
7:05 pm • Redbird Arena
Women’s Basketball Recap
Men’s Basketball Feature
Men’s Tennis Preview
CREIGHTON
62
Saturday
Men’s Basketball
vs Southern Illinois
2:05 pm • Carbondale, Ill.
Lewis and Clark lead ISU past ‘Jays Junior guard finding new
role outside of ‘Jackson 5’
Katie Langridge / Daily Vidette Seniro Staff Photographer
Freshman guard Justin Clark had a breakout game for the Redbirds, pouring in 13 points with six rebounds.
Scott Gleeson
Daily Vidette Sports Editor
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark helped lead the first
overland expedition by the United
States to the Pacific Coast in a journey to relatively unknown territory.
There was no pursuit of the
Louisiana Purchase Wednesday
night, but Illinois State’s relatively
unknown reserve players, Tony
Lewis and Justin Clark, helped
pave the trail for the Redbirds in a
71-62 home victory over visiting
Creighton before a Redbird Arena
crowd of 6,288.
Lewis nearly notched a double-double with 12 points and nine
rebounds while Clark finished with
a career-high 13 points, including
3-of-3 shooting from three-point
range.
“To me, there’s no better news
than our bench played great,” ISU
head coach Tim Jankovich said of
Lewis and Clark’s 25 points off the
bench. “Whenever that takes place,
that is really big for us in terms of
the big picture.
“I couldn’t be happier for Justin. Tony was battling his tail off.”
Illinois State finished with five
players turning out double-digit
scoring efforts.
Osiris Eldridge led the way
with 17 points, while Dinma Odiakosa contributed 13 points and 11
rebounds. Lloyd Phillips chipped
in 12 points, four assists and four
steals.
See LEWIS Page 13
Alex Reside / Daily Vidette Photo Editor
Junior guard Shala Jackson has played the sixth man role well for the Redbirds
this year, averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game off the bench.
Emily Warner
Daily Vidette Senior Staff
Katie Langridge / Daily Vidette Senior Staff Photographer
Junior transfer Tony Lewis just missed a double-double in the Redbirds’ 71-62
win over Creighton, recording 12 points and nine rebounds.
MVC STANDINGS
B
A
MEN’S
S
K
E
Season MVC
T
B
A
L
Favre has the spirit, but he can keep it
L
As of Jan. 20, 10 p.m.
WOMEN’S
Contrary to popular belief,
there were actually six members of
the Jackson 5.
All had talent,
but only five could be in the limelight.
Similar to the band of brothers, there is a Jackson left out of the
starting line up for the ISU women’s basketball team. Junior guard
Shala Jackson began the season as
a starter for the Redbirds.
Six games into the season,
Jackson lost her starting spot to junior guard Hannah Spanich, who is
in her first season playing for the
‘Birds after transferring from New
Mexico State.
Although the loss in the lineup
came as a blow to Jackson, her attitude since the beginning of the season has eased the transition from
starting player to vying for off-thebench minutes.
“My approach towards the
game has really changed a lot,”
Jackson said. “I feel like I’m more
dedicated and just more about the
team.”
Jackson’s embracing of the
role of being an upperclassman,
leader and team player has not
gone unnoticed by head coach
Robin Pingeton.
“Anytime you’re an upperclassman, you see things out of a
different lens … I think she’s a lot
more aware and into our team as a
whole,” Pingeton said. “She’s really made that last step in what we
needed from a commitment standpoint.”
Jackson flourished prior to
becoming an upperclassman. In
her rookie season at ISU, the Ft.
Wayne, Ind., native was a Valley
All-Freshman team selection who
appeared in all 33 games with seven starts. Jackson was a piece to the
puzzle in helping the team reach
the NCAA tournament in 2008.
ISU got knocked out in the
first round against Oklahoma, but
Jackson had a satisfying game,
generating 17 points with three assists against the No. 4 seed.
In her sophomore season,
Jackson started all 31 games that
she played. She also recorded three
double-doubles and scored a career
high 21 points.
See JACKSON Page 15
Season MVC
Northern Iowa
16-2
7-1
Creighton
10-5
5-1
Wichita State
17-3
6-2
Illinois State
11-5
4-1
Illinois State
14-5
5-3
Missouri State
12-5
4-2
Missouri State
14-5
4-4
Drake
11-5
4-2
Bradley
9-9
4-4
Bradley
7-8
3-2
Creighton
9-10
4-4
Wichita State
11-6
3-3
Drake
9-11
4-4
Northern Iowa
6-10
2-3
Southern Illinois
10-7
3-5
Southern Illinois
3-12
2-3
Indiana State
11-8
3-5
Indiana State
9-7
0-5
Evansville
6-12
0-8
Evansville
3-13
0-5
Chris D. Davies
Daily Vidette
Sports Columnist
Pants on the ground, pants on
the ground, I hope the Saints catch
the Vikings with their pants on the
ground.
I’m sure by now the viral video
of Brett Favre leading the Vikings
in a spirited chant of “Pants on the
Ground” has reached a computer
screen near you to your delight or
disgust.
The whole thing came about
when the Vikings quarterback
made a bet with receiver Percy
Harvin that he would lead the
team in a chant of “Pants on the
Ground” if they managed to hold
off the surging Dallas Cowboys.
True to his word, after demolishing
Jerry’s kids, he stepped right up in
the locker room and sang his best
version of the infamous song.
As cute as this latest moment
was, it just added to my ever-growing disdain for number four and his
on and off-field media circus.
There was a time when I gladly pulled a Favre jersey over my
head. That jersey, however, was
green and gold and I was six years
old.
Now, after years of retirements and reinstatements, I have
had enough. Not only has Favre inundated my sports television thoroughly, but now I’m finding him
on Facebook feeds and in friends’
tweets. This is absurd.
I understand that Favre can
still play. In slightly more attempts
this season he has completed the
same amount of passes as Saints
quarterback Drew Brees and only
one less touchdown and less than
200 fewer yards. His season has
been right on par with the best in
the league without a doubt.
That’s not what angers me,
though. What really lights a fire
under me is the amount of time that
the media gives Favre.
Take a look at Brees’ counterpart last week, Kurt Warner. Just
two years Favre’s junior (and every
bit as old by quarterback standards)
he led his team just as admirably as
Favre this year. Yet how often did I
see a Warner to Fitzgerald connection on the opening of Sportscenter?
I don’t remember seeing one
See FAVRE Page 13