EIU Game Notes  |  Listen Live  |  Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Tickets  |

EASTERN ILLINOIS (3-5) vs. Ball State (3-3)

Dec. 8, 2010 • 7 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena • Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM 
TV: WEIU

GAME 9
Eastern Illinois continues its four game home stand on Wednesday night hosting Ball State in the return game of this season's home-and-home series. EIU is coming off a 1-1 start to Ohio Valley Conference play and is 3-5 overall. BSU has not played since Nov. 27 when they lost to Alaska Anchorage to finish in 6th place in the Great Alaska Shootout. BSU won the earlier season meeting 77-46 in Muncie, Ind.

EIU-BALL STATE SERIES
This will be the 20th meeting between Ball State and Eastern Illinois. BSU holds a 15-4 series lead including a 77-46 win over the Panthers on Nov. 14. This will be the first time Ball State has played at Lantz Arena since Dec. 7, 1983 when the Cardinals picked up a 77-76 win in overtime. The last EIU win in the series dates back to Jan. 18, 1966, an 84-75 win in the old Lantz Gym.

SCOUTING BALL STATE
Ball State opened the season with wins over Eastern Illinois and Indiana State. The Cardinals now stand at 3-3 on the season including a 1-2 record at the Great Alaska Shootout. BSU has four players averaging in double figure scoring with Jauwan Scaife the leader in that group at 14.2 points per game. BSU is shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range. Jesse Berry leads the team with 10 3-point baskets.

McKINNEY RANKS AMONG TOP 75 IN STEALS
Eastern Illinois senior guard Curry McKinney contributed with four steals on Saturday night against Austin Peay. Those four steals moved his season total to 17 steals and ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference. At 2.1 steals per game McKinney ranks 70th in the NCAA entering this week's action. McKinney had three steals during Thursday's OVC opener giving him seven in league play. That total of 3.5 per game ranks first in the OVC for conference statistics tied with Sam Goodman of Morehead State.

PRATL WARMING UP FROM THE FIELD
Shaun Pratl had a solid weekend for the Panthers as the sophomore averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the first two OVC contests. Pratl was a solid 13-of-17 from the floor to shoot 76 percent. That solid shooting increased his season field goal percentage to 56.6 percent which leads EIU and ranks sixth in the OVC. Pratl would rank 58th in the nation in field goal percentage but currently does not have enough made baskets to qualify for the rankings. Pratl's 19 points on Saturday against Austin Peay where a career-high. He also is first on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game.

HOLLOWELL NEEDS TWO BLOCKS FOR TOP TEN
James Hollowell swatted away three shots against Austin Peay on Saturday to move his career total to 48. He needs just two more blocks to tie Kyle Hill (1998-01) for tenth place on the EIU career list. Last season Hollowell had 36 blocked shots which ranked 5th on the single season list. He also had six blocked shots in a win over Jacksonville State which set the school single game record. His 12 blocked shots this season rank 3rd in the OVC and 133rd in the nation. It was the 10th time in Hollowell's career that he had multiple blocks in a game.

THE OTHER McKINNIE SCORES OFF THE BENCH
Eastern Illinois' other McKinnie - Alfonzo McKinnie - came off the bench on Saturday night to provide an offensive spark with a career-high 10 points. McKinnie was 3-of-4 from the field with two of his makes coming on athletic dunks. He added a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. In his last two games played McKinnie has scored 16 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. McKinnie is now leading the Panthers with points off the bench at 3 points per game.

FIVE PLAYERS SCORE IN OVERTIME
Eastern Illinois had five players reach double figure scoring during Saturday's overtime loss to Austin Peay. Shaun Pratl led the Panthers with 19 points with Tyler Laser (15), Jeremy Granger (12), James Hollowell (11) and Alfonzo McKinnie (10) also reaching double figures. McKinnie became the first bench player to score in double figures this season for EIU. It marked the first time since Jan. 10, 2009 that five EIU players had finished a game scoring in double figures. In that game EIU knocked off Southeast Missouri 83-63. The Panthers had also had five players score in a game the previous week when all five starters scored in double figures during a 78-69 win at Jacksonville State on Jan. 3, 2009.

EIU PLAYS FIRST OVERTIME GAME THIS YEAR
EIU played its first overtime contest of the year on Saturday against Austin Peay falling 77-73. It was the 21st time EIU has played an OVC overtime game with a record of 11-10 in those contests. It was the fifth time that EIU and APSU had gone extra time with the Governors having now won four of those five games. EIU's lone win was 107-100 in double overtime during the 2000 OVC Tournament.

STEADY AT THE STRIPE
EIU was 30-of-35 (85.7) from the free throw line this weekend as the Panthers increased their season free throw percentage to 71.8 percent. That number ranks 3rd in the OVC and 69th in the nation. A large part of that success is the shooting of Jeremy Granger and Tyler Laser. Granger is 4th in the OVC at 90.5 percent while Laser is 5th in the OVC at 90 percent.