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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois had its 2015 season come to a close on Monday night as the Panthers lost at home in the second round the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) to Evansville, 83-68.
 
EIU ends the season at 18-15 overall.  Evansville improved to 21-12 and will play at Louisiana Lafayette in the next round of the CIT.
 
The Panthers would take what proved to be their only lead of the game on its first offensive possession as Dylan Chatman drained a 3-pointer with 18:56 to play in the first half.  Chatman would provide a large part of the Panthers offense on the night hitting 6-of-10 from 3-point range to finish his final collegiate game with 18 points.
 
Adam Wing answered with a jumper and D.J. Balentine hit a jumper in the lane to give Evansville a quick lead.  Cornell Johnston hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 13:47 to play.  Egidijiu Mockevicius scored five straight points in one of several short runs by the Purple Aces in the first half.  Mockevicius was a force all night finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds as Evansville won the battle on the glass by a 42-28 margin.
 
Josh Piper closed the gap to three points and Reggie Smith was fouled driving to the lane in an attempt to bring EIU to within one point.  Smith would be injured on the play and the Panthers missed both free throws.  Evansville pushed the lead to ten points with a Blake Simmons 3-pointer with 8:36 to play as Evansville led 21-11.
 
EIU would get as close as four points in the first half as Chatman hit three 3-pointers in the final 7:34 of the half.  Evansville closed the half on a 3-pointer by Balentine to lead 37-27.  Balentine finished with 22 points.
 
The Purple Aces shot 59 percent in the second half and quickly pushed the lead to 17 points as Simmons converted a pair of free throws on one possession and knocked down a 3-pointer on another.  Duane Gibson's lay-up with 15:06 to play gave Evansville its first twenty point lead at 50-29. 
 
The Panthers put together a couple of late runs with Chatman's 3-pointer with 8:47 cutting the lead to 15 points.  Trae Anderson made a lay-up in the final minute to get EIU within 14 points.  The final point was scored by senior Keenen Anderson.  Trae Anderson had ten points while Chris Olivier had 16 going 6-of-8 from the floor in the second half.  EIU shot 52 percent in the second half and 40 percent for the game.
 
Jaylon Brown added 10 points off the bench for Evansville as they shot 53 percent for the game.  
 
It marked the final collegiate games for seniors Chatman, Smith, Anderson, Piper and Mat Piotrowski.  Piper had eight points and Piotrowski added two with two blocks.