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EASTERN ILLINOIS (6-2) at Western Illinois (3-3)

Dec. 10, 2011  •  7 p.m. (CST)
Western Hall  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: None
Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore

GAME 9
Eastern Illinois resumes its long standing series with Western Illinois on Saturday night when the Panthers travel to Western Hall.  EIU is coming off a three-game homestand in which they improved to 6-2 on the season knocking off Maine, Stony Brook and Oakland City.  The win on Wednesday night moved EIU's home record to 5-0, the best start at home for the program since the 2001-02 season.  Western Illinois is 3-3 on the year including a 1-1 record in The Summit League as they split weekend games with North Dakota State and South Dakota State. 

EIU-WESTERN ILLINOIS SERIES
This marks the 155th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois in a series that dates back to 1927.  The Panthers have won three in a row in the series to take a 76-74 series lead.  EIU's last visit to Western Hall was Dec. 12, 2009 when EIU walked away with a 44-41 victory.  The game was the lowest scoring combined total for both teams in EIU's NCAA Division I history.  EIU won 61-58 in Lantz Arena last year and 63-56 at home in 2008-09.

SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
Under head coach Jim Molinari, Western Illinois likes to slow down the tempo as the Leathernecks are allowing only 62.5 points per game.  That number ranks second in The Summit League and in the top 100 in the NCAA.  Obi Emegano is the team's leading scorer with 14 points per game.  Terrell Parks averages a double-double per game at 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game with 19 of 62 rebounds this season coming on the offensive glass.

DOSS FINDS A HOT STREAK VS. OAKLAND CITY
Senior L.C. Doss found his shooting stroke against Oakland City as he poured in a career high 21 points in the win.  Doss helped the Panthers extend the lead late in the first half and early portion of the second half as he made seven straight shots from the field.  Doss ended the night hitting 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3-point range.  He was the first player since Tyler Laser in 2010 to hit five or more 3-pointers in a game.  He is 10th in the OVC in 3-pointers made this season.

HOT SHOOTING CARRIES TEAM TO WIN
Eastern Illinois shot 76 percent in the first half as the Panthers pulled away for a 83-67 win over Oakland City.  EIU led 42-28 at the half as L.C. Doss ended the first half and opened the second half making seven straight shots.  Doss led EIU with 21 points.  The Panthers cooled off to shot 59 percent for the game as they received double figure production from Jonathan Miller and Josh Piper.  Miller finished with 15 points while Piper chipped in with 17.

PIPER SHOOTING WELL FROM THE FIELD
Freshman Josh Piper has not made enough field goals this season to qualify for the OVC statistical rankings but if he did he would enter the weekend ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage.  Piper had a season high 17 points against Oakland City hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field.  Piper is the Panthers leader in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent having made 23-of-38 shots this season.  Piper has shot 50 percent or better in six of eight games this year reaching double figure scoring against Eureka College, Central Arkansas and Oakland City.

GRANGER NAMED OVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Guard Jeremy Granger was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season following his efforts in wins over Maine and Stony Brook.  Granger averaged 19.5 points per game for the week with 25 against Stony Brook.  He scored 14 points against Maine including all nine of EIU's points in the overtime period.  Granger passed out 14 assists for the week as he passed the 250 assist mark for his career in the game. 

EIU ONE LINERS
• Jonathan Miller had a career high 15 points against Oakland City hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field. Miller was 2-of-3 from 3-point range and is now 3-of-4 from beyond the arc after knocking down a 3-pointer in the season opener at Indiana State.

• Jeremy Granger was held to single digit scoring for the second time this season with nine points against Oakland City.  Granger did contribute in other ways passing out five assists.  Granger has 22 assists over the last four games as he ranks second in the OVC in assists per game at 4.4

• Alfonzo McKinnie just missed reaching double figure rebounds for the second time this season finishing with nine boards against Oakland City.  McKinnie is second in the OVC in rebounding at 7.9 per game and has pulled down eight or more rebounds in six of the Panthers eight games this season.

• Sophomore Morris Woods came off the bench to play six minutes against Oakland City.  Woods pulled down a season high three rebounds to go along with two points.  Woods had been used in the last two games as a defensive sub at the end of the first half.

• L.C. Doss picked up five steals as part of his big night against Oakland City.  It was the first time since Dewayne Wright in 2009 that a player had picked up five or more steals in a game.  Doss is now the team leader with ten steals.

• EIU's offense reached 80 or more points for the fourth time this season as EIU continues to lead the OVC in points per game at 78.4.  That total ranks 43rd in the NCAA.  Iona is the nation's top scoring team with 90.5 points per game.

• Jeremy Granger is closing in on a pair of EIU career top ten lists as the Panthers head to the holiday break.  Granger needs eight more made free throws to join the EIU career free throws made list.  Rick Kaye is currently 10th with 264 made, Granger enters the WIU game with 256.  Granger needs 21 assists to catch Norm Evans for 10th on that list with 281.  Granger enters the weekend with 961 points as he works towards becoming the 36th EIU career player to join the 1,000 point club.

• Alfonzo McKinnie enters the weekend ranked second in the OVC in field goal percentage.  McKinnie is shooting 59.6 percent from the field having made 34-of-57 shots.  He is 18th in the OVC in scoring and has reached double figures in four of eight games this year.  His season high was 24 points against Maine.

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH MIKE MILLER
Mike Miller enters his seventh season as the head coach of the Eastern Illinois with what may be his most athletic team in his tenure at EIU.  Last year EIU battled through several injuries as EIU played 12 different starting line-up combinations, a figure ranking among the top ten in the nation.  The previous season Miller led the Panthers to their first winning season in 10-years as they finished 19-12 with an 11-7 mark in the OVC.  EIU advanced to the OVC Tournament semifinals after winning a school Division I record eight straight games in February.  The 19 wins were the third highest win total for EIU as a NCAA Division I member as Miller has posted a 69-115 record at EIU.  The seven game OVC win streak was the best in school history as Miller has a 39-73 OVC mark.  A 1987 graduate of East Texas State, Miller was hired with a history of helping to build programs after success as a head coach at Texas State and associate head coach at Kansas State.  While at Texas State, Miller coached the team to two Southland Conference championships and a 1997 NCAA Tournament appearance.  He owns a 156-194 career record. 

PANTHERS PICKED 9TH IN OVC RACE
Eastern Illinois was picked to finish ninth the preseason Ohio Valley Conference preseason predictions.  The Panthers finished in ninth place last year ending a two-year run of making the OVC post-season tournament.  The Panthers were picked ahead of Jacksonville State and SIU Edwardsville in the 11 team race.  Austin Peay was the preseason favorite just ahead of Tennessee Tech and Murray State.  The top eight teams will advance to this year's tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on Feb. 29 - March 3.  SIU Edwardsville will play a league schedule and games will be counted in the standings but the Cougars are not eligible for the conference tournament.

GRANGER A PRESEASON ALL-OVC SELECTION
Senior Jeremy Granger was named to the preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference team after earning second team NABC All-Region honors last year.  Granger led EIU in scoring at 14.5 points per game while passing out a team high 98 assists.  The senior was 8th in the NCAA in free throw shooting connecting on 90.4 percent from the stripe.  He enters the 2012 season as the Panthers career leader in free throw percentage at 87.4 percent.  Granger is on pace to finish the season over the 1,000 point mark for his career and in the top ten for career assists. 

PANTHERS SIGN THREE IN EARLY PERIOD
EIU head coach Mike Miller signed three players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.  Joining the Panthers next season will be Cameron Harvey, R.J. McGhee and Alex Phillips.  Harvey is a 6-3, 190 guard playing his senior season at Wheaton Academy in West Chicago.  McGhee is a 6-6, 190 guard who is currently a sophomore at Dodge City CC in Kansas.  Phillips is a 6-2, 185 guard who is currently a sophomore at New Mexico JC.

OVC GOES TO NEW SCHEDULE FORMAT
The Ohio Valley Conference will have a new format this season as all league schools will play a 16-game schedule.  Conference schools will play a home-and-home series against six opponents while playing the remaining four schools on their schedule only one time.  This season EIU will travel to Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech without a return visit from those two schools.  The Panthers will play host to Austin Peay and Tennessee State without having to pay a return visit to Clarksville or Nashville.  The OVC season will also start later than in year's past with the conference opener for EIU on Dec. 30 against Murray State.

OVC EXPANDING TO 12 TEAMS IN 2012
Much like many of the larger conferences, the Ohio Valley Conference will also be undergoing expansion next year as Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.) will become the OVC's 12 member institution.  Belmont currently plays as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.  EIU is 1-1 against Belmont splitting a home-and-home series in 2010.