Illinois State University did exactly what conference champions are supposed to do Wednesday night find a way to win when they are not at the top of their game.

The Redbird defense bent but did not break in withstanding a furious second-half rally by the SIUC men’s basketball team. Illinois State pulled away at the free throw line late for a 79-67 win at SIU Arena.

After trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half, the Salukis stormed back to take a three-point lead with eight minutes left in the game. But Illinois State turned up the defensive pressure and used a solid second-half performance from junior guard Kyle Cartmill to pull out the win.

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Illinois State improved to 14-4 overall and 9-1 atop the Missouri Valley Conference. SIUC fell to 9-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play while dropping their fourth straight to the Redbirds.

We probably didn’t do a good job of resting players, Saluki coach Rich Herrin said. They’ve got a deeper bench and got to use more players. I think we just got tired.

The Salukis exploded out of the gates in the second half, using a 15-4 run to cut the Redbird lead to 45-44 with 15:48 remaining. Senior forward Rashad Tucker gave SIUC a 46-45 lead with two free throws one minute later. The foul was doubly costly for Illinois State, as senior center LeRoy Watkins picked up his fourth foul on the play.

Both teams traded baskets until Illinois State opened a 63-59 lead with 5:22 left. The Redbirds opened the lead to 68-61 on a three-point play by Watkins with 3:59 remaining before going on an 11-6 run to capture the win.

SIUC shut down Redbird standout junior forward Rico Hill for much of the second half, but Cartmill stepped up to score nine points after halftime.

SIUC erased any doubts about a slow start Wednesday by trading baskets with the Redbirds. Consecutive three-point field goals by sophomore forward Chris Thunell and senior guard Shane Hawkins gave the Salukis their biggest lead of the first half at 14-8 with 14:41 left.

But the Redbirds turned to their star and Hill put them on his back. Hill scored six straight points of his game-high 20 to give Illinois State a 25-23 lead and the Redbirds never trailed for the rest of the half.

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When they needed a bucket, they went to Rico, Herrin said.

With 54 seconds left before halftime, Herrin was visibly upset on a previous foul call and was given a technical foul. Illinois State capitalized with seven consecutive points to take a 41-29 lead going into the locker room.

SIUC shot just 29 percent from the floor in the first half, while the Redbirds burned the nets at 54 percent. Hill led Illinois State with 12, while Tucker keyed SIUC offensively with nine.

The Salukis battle Creighton University at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at SIU Arena to wrap up a three-game homestand.