Box Score

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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois men's basketball team shot below 30 percent from the floor for the second time in as many games, dropping a 66-48 contest with Indiana State on Saturday night inside Lantz Arena. EIU falls to 3-6 on the year.
 
EIU led 22-21 with 5:14 left in the first half on a layup by Sherman Blanford before the Sycamores closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 30-24 lead into intermission. The first stanza was back-and-forth as there were six ties and six lead changes.
 
Indiana State went 5-for-10 from the floor to start the second half, building a double-figure advantage (41-28) at the 13:54 mark. The Panthers responded with an 11-3 run to get within five (44-39) with just over nine minutes left in the contest, but Indiana State held EIU to one point over the next seven minutes to take their largest lead of the game, 64-45, with 2:05 on the clock.
 
Blanford posted his fifth career double-double in the loss, scoring a game-high 18 points with a game-high 10 rebounds. The senior forward went 7-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the foul line. Both squads finished the contest going 13-for-19 from the charity stripe.
 
Josh Piper and Alex Austin both added six points for EIU while Austin also grabbed a career-high six rebounds. EIU had one more rebound (39-38) than Indiana State on the night.
 
Three Sycamores scored in double figures, led by Jake Odum's 15 points. Manny Arop added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
Indiana State posted a .429 field-goal percentage while EIU only hit 29.6 percent of its shot attempts. The Panthers also had 10 blocks, tying their season high. Brothers Luke and Mat Piotrowski and Piper led the team with three blocks each.
 
The Panthers return to action on Dec. 19 at Wright State at 6 p.m.