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Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's basketball posted its first win of the season on Tuesday night behind the sharp shooting of freshman guard
Casey Teson and the clutch free throws of junior college transfer
A.J. Riley as the Panthers beat Indiana State, 68-62.
EIU improved to 1-4 on the season and will host Northern Kentucky on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ISU fell to 3-3.
Leading for the third straight game at home EIU opened its second half lead to eight points as
Demetrius McReynolds knocked down a 3-pointer with 11:07 to play pushing the Panthers lead to 46-38.
Devonte Brown answered with a 3-pointer for ISU before the two teams traded baskets over the next four minutes. Emondre Rickman then had a 5-0 run with a free throw, dunk and lay-up which cut the EIU lead to 53-51 with 5:49 to play.
Trae Anderson knocked down a pair of free throws and Riley hit a lay-up to push EIU's lead back to six with 4:46 remaining. Riley was one of three EIU players in double figures finishing with ten points and three assists.
The Sycamores closed the gap to one point on free throws by Everett Clemons with 1:19 left to play.
Cornell Johnston drained a 3-pointer to extend EIU's lead back to two possessions with 59 seconds left.
Riley then made two clutch free throws with 20 seconds left in the game as EIU had missed five of six at the line in the previous two minutes.
EIU shot 48 percent from 3-point range with Teson going 6-of-8 for a team-high 18 points. The six 3-pointers by Teson set an EIU school record for 3-pointers made in a game by a freshman. Seven freshmen had previously hit five 3-pointers in a game, the last was
Cornell Johnston last season. Teson hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the second half.
EIU led 27-23 at the half holding ISU to 33 percent shooting in the first half and 38 percent for the game. Both teams finished with 35 rebounds, the first time this season EIU has not been outrebounded in a game. Anderson had six rebounds to go with 12 points.
Marshawn Blackmon had six rebounds.
ISU was led by Brown with 22 points. The Sycamores led by ten points early in the game opening with a 16-6 run. Teson's 3-pointer with 1:33 to play in the first half gave EIU's its first lead. Teson followed with another 3-pointer to give EIU its four point halftime advantage.
Brenton Scott added 11 points while Rickman had 10 points for the Sycamores.