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CHARLESTON, Ill. – In a game that set several school records for lack of points scored it was Eastern Illinois that was able to put more in the ledger as the Panthers (7-10, 3-4 OVC) shut down Morehead State, 47-40, on Saturday night in Lantz Arena.
With five NBA scouts in attendance, Eastern Illinois clamped down on Wooden Award candidate Kenneth Faried limiting him to five points and 13 rebounds on the night. Faried had three points in the first half and two in the second as Morehead State (12-7, 5-3 OVC) was held to 26 percent shooting for the night.
Both teams struggled to generate any consistent offense as the Eagles jumped out to a 10-4 lead behind a 3-pointer by Ty Proffitt and a jumper by Demonte Harper.
The Panthers slowly worked their way back into the contest as freshman guard Isaac Smith drove the lane on three straight possessions. He sank 5-of-6 free throw chances as EIU trimmed the lead to 15-14 with 7:58 remaining in the half. Smith would finish the game with nine points.
Morehead State extended the lead to five points on a Faried jumper at the 1:16 mark. Jeremy Granger hit a jumper with seven seconds as the Panthers trailed 23-21 at the half. EIU shot 28 percent in the first half.
The Panthers were able to warm up marginally in the second half as they hit 35 percent in the final twenty minutes to finish at 32 percent. EIU held MSU to 19 percent shooting in the second half.
Terrance Hill pushed the MSU lead back to five points with a jumper at the 17:02 mark that gave the Eagles a 28-23 advantage. EIU used a 6-2 run to take the lead at 31-30 at the 10:50 mark as Granger had a jumper and pair of free throws in the spurt. Granger led all players with 17 points as only two players reached double figures on the night. Sam Goodman had 12 to lead MSU.
Smith converted a lay-up at the 6:56 mark and Granger drained a 3-pointer to push the Panthers lead to four. EIU would push the margin to as high as seven points leading 43-36 with 1:23 left on a James Hollowell free throw. Hollowell did add two blocked shots to move into eighth on the EIU career list. He pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
Morehead State's final four points of the night came at the free throw line as the Eagles went the last 3:07 without a field goal.
The 87 combined points in the lowest combined total scored in Lantz Arena since the building was opened in 1966. The previous mark was 89 set in January 1978 when UW Green Bay beat Eastern Illinois, 45-44. The 40 points by MSU is the lowest point total by a Division I opponent and also matches the low point total scored in Lantz Arena, set earlier this season in a 57-40 win over IU South Bend.
EIU will return to action on Thursday with an OVC contest at Murray State.
