KISSIMMEE, Fla.-Illinois State captured the 2025 Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational Imagination Bracket Title with a 72-65 win over Furman, while Richmond picked up a 71-66 win over the Charlotte 49ers in the consolation bracket at State Farm Fieldhouse, concluding a fantastic two days of basketball, which featured four good basketball games contested between true mid-major programs, with the largest margin of victory being 10 points.
The Redbirds, which returned to four starters and entered the season as the preseason favorite to claim the Missouri Valley Conference title, used their experience and Midwest grit down the stretch in a close game to claim the win over the battle-tested Paladins.
Illinois State shot the ball well in the second half, using a 57% effort to outscore the Paladins 39-29 in the second half, overcoming what was a 36-33 halftime deficit to come away with the win, improving to 6-2 overall, while Furman saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, falling to 4-4.The title for the Redbirds marked their first in an in-season tournament since the 2010-11 season.
The Redbirds were a team built to adapt, and coach Ryan Pedon’s team showed it could both play up-tempo and in the halfcourt, and offered a variety of scoring options that, if the opposition shut one down, another one always seemingly found a way to emerge.
While Boden Skunberg led the Redbirds in their semifinal win over Charlotte, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, in the championship win it was Imagination Bracket MVP Ty Pence that came up huge for the Redbirds, as he posted a career-high 20 points and 10 boards, and was the player that made key shots down the stretch to help the Redbirds get baskets when they needed them in crucial moments.
The Paladins, who got a career-high matching 26 points from true freshman point guard Alex Wilkins in Thursday’s one-point win over Richmond, saw the talented true freshman point guard pour in 25 more points in Friday’s title game to lead all scorers, as Furman came up just short and fell to 0-2 this season against Missouri Valley Conference teams. Furman also fell to another of the MVC’s top teams a couple of weeks ago, falling 70-54 in Cedar Falls at Northern Iowa.
With the game tied, 52-52, just over midway through second half, the Redbirds made the move that would ultimately put them over the top and come up with the program’s first in-season tournament title since the 2010-11 season, putting together an 8-0 run, which started with a Cameron Barnes tip-in and ended with a Pence fade-a-way jumper at the 8:31mark to give the Redbirds some cushion with a 60-52 lead.
A Cooper Bowser tip-in on the other end ended a 2:21 scoring drought for the Paladins and made it a two-possession game once again, at 60-54.
Over the next seven minutes, the Redbirds would maintain a 4-8-point advantage on the scoreboard until a Wilkins running layup on the other end brought the Paladins back to within three, at 68-65, with 39 seconds remaining.
A Johny Kinzinger jumper from about 17-feet out with the shot-clock winding down off a nice set play following a Redbirds timeout, restored a two-possession lead, at 70-65, with 12 seconds remaining.
Following Asa Thomas’ missed 3-pointer on the other end, the Redbirds’ Skunberg got the rebound and was immediately fouled with four seconds remaining, and he knocked down both double-bonus foul shots to close out the win and create the final seven-point margin.
Furman fell behind 16-6 early in the contest, following a Johnny Kinzinger jumper at the 14:06mark. After a Bowser two-handed flush on the other end, Skunberg got a nice feed from backcourt mate Ty’Reek Coleman to knock down a right elbow three to give the Redbirds their largest lead of the game, at 19-8, with 13:20 remaining.
Furman would whittle the lead away over the final 10 minutes of the half, and went to the half with all the momentum, using a stretch of three made three-pointers by freshman guard Collin O’Neal over roughly a six-minute stretch, igniting the Paladin offense, and with a 10-0 run to close the half, the Paladins found themselves up, 36-33, at the break.
O’Neal’s career-best 12 points came in 17 minutes of work, which included a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort from three-point range in the game. O’Neal, who suffered what looked to be a charley horse injury early in the second half and didn’t return to the game, gave Furman some important points off the bench on an afternoon when two of its veterans–Tom House and Charles Johnston struggled to make shots on a combined 2-for-8 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point land –also added four rebounds.
Pence finished off his career-best effort by connecting on 8-of-12 shots from the field and 2-for-3 from long-range, while adding 10 rebounds and two assists.
He was one of four ISU players in double figures, as preseason All-MVC selection and league player of the year candidate Chase Walker added 14 points and four boards, while Skunberg followed up his season-high 22 points with 12 and Kinzinger finished with 11 points. Coleman just missed double figures, finishing with nine points, four assists and a pair of steals, while turning it over only once.
Wilkins, who led all scorers in the tournament with 51 points in two games, finished 9-of-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from three-point land and connected on five of his six charity stripe attempts to equal his game-high total of 25 times. In addition to his fourth 20+point scoring effort and eighth double-figure effort, The Mattapan, Mass., product added five assists while turning over three times.
Wilkins was one of three Paladins in double figures, as the freshman was joined by classmate O’Neal and junior Cooper Bowser, who both added 12 points apiece. All told, freshmen combined to score 47 of Furman’s 65 points.
The Paladins shot the ball at a 45.5% clip for the game (23-of-55) and 36.0% (6-of-11) from 3-point range. Furman was once again not very good at the free throw line, as the Paladins finished the game just 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the free throw line and shot less than 50% (15-of-31) in the tournament from the stripe.
The Redbirds finished the game connected on 45.6% (26-of-57) from the field 33.3% (8-of-24) from three-point range.
Furman, which has now faced five projected conference winners and three 2025 NCAA Tournament teams, returns to action by facing its first CAA foe of the season, heading to the Schaar Center to take on Elon (4-2) on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST.
The Redbirds will be back at home in Normal, Ill., to face Eastern Kentucky (4-2) Wednesday night for their next game, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST at CEFCU Arena.
In the first game of the day, Richmond kept threatening to blow the game open, yet seemingly every time Charlotte would find its way back into the game. The Spiders built leads of 12 points in the first half and led by as many as 18 in the second before having to hold on for a 71-66 win.
With the Spiders’ win in the consolation game, it improved to 6-1 overall, which matches its best record through seven games in 21 seasons under head coach Chris Mooney.
AJ Lopez posted a team-leading with 17 points, while Jaden Daughtry found his way into double figures for a second-straight game, finishing with 15 points.
The game between Charlotte and Richmond was a rekindled, former Atlantic 10 rivalry, as the Spiders claimed their 11th win in the last 13 meetings with the 49ers.
Richmond shot 45.8% (22-of-48) from the field, while the Spiders shot 33.3% (7-of-21) from three-point range. The Spiders and 49ers shot a combined 58 free throws in what was a foul-fest, as the two teams combined to commit 41. The Spiders connected on 58.3% (20-for-34) in the game, while Charlotte finished 66.7% (16-of-24) from the field.
The 49ers ended up being led by Ben Bradford’s 18 points, while fellow backcourt mate DeWayne Mingo posted 10. Charlotte finished the game connecting a 43.1% clip (22-of-51) and 23.1% (6-of-26) from long-range.
Richmond will return to the floor Wednesday night, with a big road test at Belmont (7-0) at the Curb Events Center in Nashville, with tip-off for that contest set for 7:30 p.m. EST. Charlotte returns the Queen City and to hardwood action on Tuesday, Dec. 2 to face off against North Carolina A&T (3-2). Tip-off is for 7 p.m. EST at Halton Arena.
G-Ty Pence (Illinois State)
G-Boden Skunberg (Illinois State)
F-Chase Walker (Illinois State)
Most Points: Alex Wilkins (Furman/51 pts in two games)
MVP: Chase Walker (Illinois State)
Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational Imagination Bracket Scoreboard
Nov. 27, 2025 (State Farm Fieldhouse)
Semifinal No. 1: Furman 73, Richmond 72
Semifinal No. 2 Illinois State 79, Charlotte 69
Nov. 28, 2025 (State Farm Fieldhouse)
CONSOLATION GAME: Richmond 71, Charlotte 66
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Illinois State 72, Furman 65
