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DAYTON, Ohio  – The Panther men's basketball team committed a season-high 21 turnovers in a 70-43 loss at Wright State on Thursday night at the Nutter Center. EIU drops to 3-7 on the year.  
 
EIU went 7-for-10 from the floor to start the contest, taking a 21-19 lead on a Sherman Blanford three-point play with 6:45 on the clock. The Raiders (6-7) responded by going on a 10-0 run and holding the Panthers scoreless for six minutes to take a 29-21 advantage at the 1:07 mark. Blanford ended the drought with a layup with 48 seconds on the clocks before AJ Pacher knocked down a shot on Wright State's final possession of the half to make the score 31-23 at intermission.
 
Wright State forced 12 Panther turnovers in the first half, turning the miscues into 11 points. All told, the Raiders had 20 points off of turnovers in the contest.
 
The Raiders hit back-to-back threes to open the second half to take their first double-figure lead, 37-25, before EIU got within nine (40-31) with 15:28 remaining on the clock on an Alex Austin basket. Wright State regained the lead and outscored EIU, 30-12, while holding the Panthers to only three made baskets to end the game.
 
Blanford posted his second consecutive double-double to lead the Panthers, scoring a game-high 15 points with a game-high 11 rebounds. Austin added 10 points and Chris Olivier added seven points in his Panther debut.
 
Wright State posted two more rebounds (24-22) than EIU with Chrishawn Hopkins leading the Raiders on the glass with four rebounds. Both teams also had five steals on the night.
 
EIU hit 40.5 percent of its shot attempts and went 10-for-15 from the foul line. Wright state connected on 54.5 percent of its field-goal attempts and went 15-for-18 from the charity stripe, including a 9-for-9 mark in the first half.
 
Miles Dixon and Hopkins led the Raider offense with nine points each while Reggie Arceneaux and Cole Darling both added eight points, respectively. Arceneaux and Matt Vest both had a game-high three assists.
 
The Panthers return to action at IPFW on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. CT from the Gates Sports Center. EIU and IPFW met earlier this season with the Mastodons defeating the Panthers, 71-65, on Nov. 27 in Charleston, Ill.