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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the third straight game as the Panthers (14-11, 8-7 OVC) connected on 55 percent of their shots to pull away for a 77-54 win over Eastern Kentucky (18-9, 10-5 OVC) on Saturday night at Lantz Arena.
Papa Oppong scored the games first points for Eastern Kentucky on a 3-pointer just 25 seconds into the game. Tyler Laser answered with a 3-pointer for the Panthers on the next possession as the two teams traded the lead and had four ties in the first eight minutes as Edin Suljic knotted the game at 13-13 with a pair of free throws with 12:06 left in the first.
EIU would put together a quick 8-0 run followed by an 11-4 run over the remainder of the first half as the Panthers built a 34-21 halftime advantage shooting 47 percent from the field. Laser would score eight points hitting 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The junior would finish the game leading all scorers with 17 points ending 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Panthers continued to warm up in the second half shooting 65 percent from the field and 5-of-5 from 3-point range. In addition to Laser's 3-of-3 second half effort, Dewayne Wright and Curry McKinney also drained 3-pointers.
EIU extended its lead to 20 points at the 16:20 mark as Jeremy Granger scored four points during an 11-4 EIU run to open the half. EIU would extend the lead to as many as 24 points midway through the half with Granger and Shaun Pratl adding buckets. The biggest Panther lead was 26 in the final minute.
James Hollowell capped his big weekend with 16 points and 9 rebounds as he hit all 11 free throw opportunities during weekend wins over Morehead State and EKU. EIU dominated the glass with a 43-26 margin.
Josh Taylor was the lone EKU player to reach double figures with 11 points. The Colonels were limited to 35 percent shooting and 29 percent from 3-point range.
EIU will play its final regular-season road game on Tuesday at UT Martin with a 7 p.m. tip. The Panthers host Northern Illinois next Saturday at 6 p.m. as part of the ESPNU Bracketbusters weekend.
