Box Score

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CHARLESTON, Ill.  – Reggie Smith scored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting to lead the Panther men's basketball team to a 67-64 win over Austin Peay on Saturday afternoon. EIU improves to 6-12 (3-4 OVC) on the year.
 
Leading 65-64 with 16 seconds remaining in the game, Sherman Blanford tipped in a missed shot by Luke Piotrowski to give EIU a three-point advantage. On the ensuing possession, Austin Peay's Damarius Smith missed a three pointer as time expired from the left baseline as the Governors dropped to 8-11 overall and 2-3 in Ohio Valley Conference action.
 
Trailing 56-55 with 4:06 on the clock, EIU went 5-for-6 from the floor and hit its only free throw attempt down the stretch to hang on for the victory. All told, the game had 18 lead changes and 11 ties.
 
EIU had its largest lead of the contest, 34-27, on a Dylan Chatman three pointer with 3:22 left before intermission. The Governors used an 8-0 run to end the half and take a 35-34 advantage into the locker room.
 
Luke Piotrowski scored a season-high 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting while Blanford rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points. Blanford also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Smith also added a game-high five assists and recorded two steals.
 
Will Triggs led three Governors in double figures with 15 points, going 6-for-10 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the charity stripe. Travis Betran added 11 points while Chris Horton posted a double-double as the sophomore forward scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Austin Peay held a 27-25 advantage on the glass and had five more points off of turnovers (16-11). Defensively, EIU had four blocks and steals in the win.
 
EIU posted a .531 field-goal percentage on the day, including a .609 field-goal percentage in the second half. EIU also went 7-for-16 from behind the arc and 8-for-11 from the foul line. Austin Peay went 23-for-47 from the floor and 3-for-14 from three-point range. The Governors also hit 71.4 percent of their free-throw attempts (15-for-21).
 
The Panthers return to action at UT Martin on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.