Box Score

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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Panther men's basketball team used a balanced offense that saw 12 players score in an 89-67 victory over Roosevelt University on Saturday night inside Lantz Arena. EIU improves to 3-2 on the year.
 
The first eight minutes of the contest was close as the two teams were tied three times and exchanged leads on seven occasions. Trailing 18-17 at the 12:48 mark, the Panthers used an 18-5 run to take their largest lead of the half, 35-23, with just over seven minutes on the clock. EIU never relinquished the lead and led 40-33 at intermission despite the Lakers hitting 60 percent (13-for-20) of their shots in the first half.
 
The Panthers returned the favor in the second stanza and connected on 65.5 percent of their field-goal attempts to build a double-figure lead for the final 17 and a half minutes of the contest. EIU finished the game going 35-for-59 from the floor. Roosevelt cooled off in the second half, going 10-for-27 from the field.
 
Alex Austin led three Panthers in double figures with 16 points, going 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-6 from behind the arc. He also went 2-for-2 for from the foul line. EIU finished the game going 11-for-17 from the charity stripe.
 
Keenen Anderson added 13 points while Sherman Blanford chipped in 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds. The Lakers had one more rebound (28-27) in the contest than the Panthers.
 
EIU dished out a season-high 21 assists in the win, led by Reggie Smith who had seven to go along with nine points. Zach Dickerson also added five assists and nine points.
 
Defensively, the Panthers had a season-high 10 blocks and 10 steals. EIU also forced 18 turnovers, turning the miscues into 16 points. The Panthers had 38 bench points and 48 points in the paint in the victory.
 
Korey Ryan led the Lakers with a game-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Kevin Priebe also added 12 points and a team-high five rebounds.
 
The Panthers return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 27 when they play host to IPFW at 7 p.m.