Recap: Illinois State vs. UAB

South Padre Island, TX (Sports Network) - Bryant Allen scored a career-high 30 points as the Illinois State Redbirds cruised by the UAB Blazers, 77-65, in the semifinal round of the 2012 South Padre Invitational at the South Padre Island Convention Center.

Allen was 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, including six makes from three-point range, to go with six steals in the Illinois State (5-0) victory. Tyler Brown scored 15 points while he was a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. Jackie Carmichael also got into the mix as he added 11 points and five blocks.

Jordan Swing recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds for UAB (3-2). Rod Rucker was the only other Blazer in double figures with 14 points in the setback.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, leading to a 34-30 Illinois State halftime lead. UAB made 2-of-7 from distance while Illinois State made only 3-of-10 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.

The Redbirds made some progress in the second half, hitting on 41.2 percent from the floor (14-of-34). UAB seemed to regress, hitting only 35.3 percent of shots from the floor, allowing Illinois State to capture the double-digit win.

Illinois State forced 27 turnovers, 15 of which were Redbirds' steals. The Redbirds will advance to face Northwestern in the championship game.