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MARTIN, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois used a 12-0 run during a crucial period of the second half as the Panthers (15-11, 9-7 OVC) pulled away for an 83-68 win at UT Martin. The win by the Panthers guarantees no worse than a fifth place finish in the OVC this year.

With the Panthers leading 55-41 with 11:10 left following a Jay Smith 3-pointer, Marquis Weddle and Benzor Simmons led the Skyhawks (4-22, 1-14 OVC) on a long run as they scored on eight out of nine possessions. Weddle's 3-pointer at 6:21 cut the EIU lead to 63-61.

Jeremy Granger would put the Panthers on his back leading the team on a 12-0 run as he scored seven of the 12 points to finish with 13 for EIU. When the run finished EIU had extended the lead to 75-61 with 3:29 left to play. Granger narrowly missed a double-double with nine assists.

Eastern Illinois which had shot better than 50 percent from the floor in its last three games got off to a slow start as they quickly fell behind UT Martin 8-2 as Andres Irarrazabal scored five early points for the Skyhawks.

Curry McKinney seemed to light a spark under the Panthers offense as he picked up a steal which led to a quick Granger bucket when he entered the game with 15:02 left in the first half. McKinney would also cap the first half EIU scoring with a fast break lay-up as the Panthers led 35-25 at the break.

Zavier Sanders provided some offensive punch off the bench for EIU as he scored a career high 16 points hitting 8-of-10 from the floor. As a team, EIU shot 56 percent as they hit over 50 percent from the floor for the fourth straight game.

James Hollowell and #T.J. Marion# also added double figure scoring with Hollowell scoring 13 and Marion 11.

Weddle led all scorers with 18 points for UTM while Irarrazabal added 13. UTM shot 8-of-14 from 3-point range but committed 19 turnovers which EIU converted into 24 points.

The Panthers step out of league action on Saturday night hosting Northern Illinois at 6 p.m.