Box Score

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CHARLESTON, Ill.  – The Panther men's basketball team dropped a non-conference contest with Cleveland State, 82-68, on Tuesday night inside Lantz Arena. EIU falls to 7-14 on the year and CSU improves to 14-9.
 
With 9:48 left in regulation, the Vikings took their largest lead of the game, 66-48, on back-to-back free throws by Anton Grady. EIU battled back to get within eight (70-62) at the 4:53 mark by using a 14-4 run, but Cleveland State held off the late rally by going 3-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the foul line down the stretch. The Vikings finished the contest going 17-for-18 from the charity stripe.
 
The first half had three ties and two lead changes with EIU holding its final lead, 15-12, with 9:42 left before intermission. Cleveland State responded by using an 18-4 run over the next three minutes to take its first double-figure lead. Reggie Smith made the halftime score, 41-37, in favor of the Vikings when he sank a half-court shot as the clock expired. 
 
Dylan Chatman scored a season-high 19 points as the junior guard went 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-8 from behind the arc. He also had four steals and two assists. Sherman Blanford scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Chris Olivier rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points while adding a game-high three blocks.
 
EIU finished the contest going 22-for-49 from the floor and 17-for-24 from the foul line. Cleveland State hit 50 percent (28-for-56) of its shot attempts and went 9-for-16 from behind the arc. EIU finished the night 7-for-16 from three-point range.
 
Bryn Forbes led the Vikings with a game-high 25 points while Trey Lewis added 17 points with a game-high nine rebounds and five assists. Grady chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
Cleveland State held a 34-26 advantage on the glass and dished out five more assists (18-13) than EIU. Both teams had six blocks and eight steals.
 
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 1 as they play host to SIUE at 2 p.m.