NORMAL, Ill. (Interstat) — In a grinding, defensive struggle where points were at a premium, the Illinois-Chicago Flames authored a resilient road victory, outlasting the Illinois State Redbirds 63-59 in overtime on Saturday night at Redbird Arena.

The Flames, who entered as significant underdogs according to predictive metrics, improved to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds, who had won eight of their last nine, fell to 12-5 and 2-2 in the league before a crowd of 4,859.

The game was defined by frigid shooting and physical defense. Illinois-Chicago shot just 41 percent from the field and a paltry 21.4 percent from three-point range. Illinois State was even colder, connecting on only 27.4 percent of its field goals and 22.9 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. The Flames’ decisive edge came from their work inside, outscoring the Redbirds 38-18 in the paint and converting 10 of 11 free throws.

Illinois-Chicago led 28-25 at halftime, but the Redbirds chipped away in the second period. The game tightened into a possession-by-possession battle, with neither team leading by more than four points in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Illinois State guard Johnny Kinziger tied the game at 51-51 with two free throws with 36 seconds remaining. The Flames had a chance to win in regulation, but a Mekhi Lowery hook shot missed, sending the game to an extra period tied at 51.

The overtime belonged to the visitors. The Flames opened the period with a 6-0 run, keyed by a Lowery floating jumper and an Elijah Crawford layup, to seize a 57-51 lead they would not relinquish. Illinois State managed just eight points in overtime, missing seven of its nine field goal attempts. The Redbirds closed to within 61-59 on a Mason Klabo three-pointer with 14 seconds left, but Illinois-Chicago’s Andy Johnson sank two clutch free throws with 5 seconds remaining to seal the four-point victory.

Klabo led all scorers with 15 points for Illinois State, while Ty Pence added 13. Kinziger finished with 11 points and five assists. For Illinois-Chicago, forward Abdul Momoh was a force inside, scoring 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Crawford contributed 10 points, and the Flames received key minutes from reserve Josiah Hammons, who scored eight points, including a critical three-pointer, and recorded a block.

The most pivotal sequence occurred late in overtime. Leading 57-53, Illinois-Chicago’s Mekhi Lowery was fouled and made both free throws with 5 seconds left, extending the lead to six. Illinois State’s last-gasp three-point attempt by Klabo missed, extinguishing the Redbirds’ final hope and cementing a hard-fought road conference win for the Flames.

The victory snaps a two-game skid for Illinois-Chicago, which travels to face Northern Iowa on Tuesday. Illinois State looks to rebound Wednesday at Indiana State. The intrastate rivals are scheduled to meet again on Feb. 15 in Chicago.