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EASTERN ILLINOIS (4-11, 1-3) at Jacksonville State (8-11, 2-2)

Jan. 11, 2014 • 4:30 p.m. 
Mathews Coliseum (5,500) • Jacksonville, Ala.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
(Mike Bradd & Greg Lautzenheiser)

THE OPENING TIP
The Panther men's basketball team travels to Jacksonville State on Saturday, Jan. 11 for a 4:30 p.m. contest. EIU is 4-11 (1-3 OVC) and JSU is 8-11 (2-2 OVC).
 
For the second time in as many games, the Panthers face one of the better defensive teams in the conference as the Gamecocks rank third in scoring defense. EIU played the first ranked Golden Eagles on Thursday.
 
The Panthers are led by second-year head coach Jay Spoonhour. He has posted a 121-64 record in seven seasons as a head coach and a 15-32 record at EIU.
 
James Green has a 67-101 in six seasons with the Gamecocks and has a 234-261 career record in 17 seasons as a head coach.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH JACKSONVILLE STATE
EIU leads the all-time series with JSU, 9-7. The Panthers lost the last meeting between the two schools, 61-55, on Jan. 12, 2013 inside Lantz Arena. Then-junior Sherman Blanford posted a game-high 10 points and seven rebounds while adding two blocks and steals in the loss.
 
The Panthers have lost three straight in the series and are looking for their first win in Jacksonville, Ala., since Dec. 21, 2010. EIU defeated JSU, 61-54.
 
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks are 6-1 at home this season, most recently defeating SIUE, 61-52, on Thursday, Jan. 9. Darion Rackley leads the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game while Brian Williams has added 11.1 points per game and a team-high 3.8 assists per game.
 
Defensively, Nick Cook leads the team on the glass with 5.7 rebounds per game. JSU is averaging 3.6 blocks and 5.5 steals per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers are coming off an 81-69 road loss at Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Jan. 9. EIU shot over 50 percent from the floor and was led in scoring by Dylan Chatman who scored a career-high 14 points.
 
UP NEXT
After playing the Gamecocks on Saturday, the Panthers return to Lantz Arena to play host to Murray State (Jan. 16) and Austin Peay (Jan. 18).
 
IN THE PAINT
• Sherman Blanford had his streak of 14 consecutive free throws made snapped on his first free throw attempt at Tennessee Tech. The junior forward is 20-for-24 from the charity stripe in four OVC games this season.
 
• Dylan Chatman scored a career-high 14 points in the loss at Tennessee Tech as the junior guard went 5-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from behind the arc. After not starting any games in non-conference action, Chatman has started in every OVC game and has averaged 10.5 points per game. He has hit 47.6 percent of his three pointers in those contests (10-for-21).
 
• EIU hit 51 percent of its shot attempts at Tennessee Tech, connecting on 50 percent or more of its field-goal attempts for the fifth time this season and the second time in a road game.
 
• Luke Piotrowski had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting at Tennessee Tech while adding two rebounds and a block in 22 minutes of play off the bench. The sophomore forward has averaged 3.2 points per game this season with a .457 field-goal percentage (21-for-46).
 
• Sherman Blanford leads the Panthers in rebounding with 5.9 rebounds per game, the 10^th best average in the conference. He has added 11.1 points per game to rank second on the team while increasing his average to 15.5 points per game in OVC games.
 
• In OVC only games, the Panthers rank second in the conference free throw percentage – hitting 75.5 percent of their free throw attempts (77-for-102). Alex Austin, Sherman Blanford and Reggie Smith have combined to go 54-for-67 from the foul line.
 
• EIU ranks second in the conference and 38th in the nation in blocks per game (5.4 bpg). Mat Piotrowski paces the team with 15 blocks while his brother Luke Piotrowski has added 13. Keenen Anderson and Josh Piper both have 12 blocks.
 
• The Panthers are 1-7 in road games this season. EIU has averaged 57.2 points per game on the road with a .393 field-goal percentage. Reggie Smith is the lone Panther to score in double figures away from Charleston, averaging 11.8 points per game.
 
EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH JAY SPOONHOUR
Jay Spoonhour enters his second season as the Panthers head coach having been hired on April 9, 2012.  Spoonhour was previously the head coach at Moberly Area Community College where he coached for three seasons.  He is a long time assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level and served as the interim head coach at UNLV to complete the 2004 season posting a 6-4 record and taking the team to the finals of the Mountain West Conference along with an NIT appearance.  In 2001 Spoonhour was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year leading Wabash Valley College to the NJCAA National Championship with a 36-1 record.  He is the son of the late legendary coach Charlie Spoonhour.  Spoonhour played basketball at Pittsburg State earning his degree in 1994. He was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.  He has assistant coaching stops at Central Missouri, Saint Louis, UNLV, Missouri and Texas San Antonio. Spoohour's career mark is 121-64, 21-36 at NCAA Division I.
 
FATHER, SON COMBINATIONS
Jay Spoonhour and his late father, Charlie Spoonhour, are one of several father/son combinations that have coached in collegiate basketball as they have combined to win 390 NCAA basketball games, all coming at the Division I level.  Only 17 father/son combinations have ever won 600 or more games with Eddie, Scott and Sean Sutton topping the list with 1,118 wins between the three. Scott is currently the head coach at Oral Roberts. Only three father/son combinations have ever won more than 1,000 games at the NCAA level. (through games on Jan. 3, 2014)