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EASTERN ILLINOIS (12-9, 5-3 OVC) vs. Eastern Kentucky (10-11, 3-5 OVC)
Thursday, January 31  •  7:30 pm 
Charleston, Ill.  •  Lantz Arena

EIU GAME NOTES: PDF Link
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: 40th meeting, EKU leads 22-17
LAST MEETING: EIU 54, @EKU 53 on Jan. 6, 2018

GAME 22
Eastern Illinois returns home to open the final third of the 2019 season with games against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and Morehead State on Saturday.  EIU lost last Saturday at Southeast Missouri dropping the Panthers to 12-9 overall, 5-3 in the OVC.  The Panthers are in fifth place in the league standings, two games out of first place.  Eastern Kentucky comes into Thursday's game with a 10-11 record, 3-5 in the OVC.  This will be EKU's first visit to Lantz Arena since January of 2016.

WALLACE WINS OVC NEWCOMER AWARD AGAIN
Eastern Illinois sophomore guard Josiah Wallace was named the Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week following his performance in the Panthers two road games last week.  Wallace averaged 19 points per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor.  On Thursday at UT Martin, Wallace scored the Panthers final eight points including hitting a game winning 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.  Wallace is currently fifth in the OVC in scoring at 15.4 points per game.  It is the third time this season Wallace has won the OVC Newcomer of the Week Award.

JAQUALIS MATLOCK SOLID FOR THE WEEKEND
JaQualis Matlock just missed posting a double-double on Saturday at Southeast Missouri as the junior forward finished with ten points and nine rebounds.  It was the second straight double figure game for Matlock as he was 5-of-10 from the floor.  Matlock had scored 13 points in the Thursday win at UT Martin.  The nine rebounds tied his previous season high against Western Illinois on Nov. 17.  Over the last the three games Matlock is 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) from the field while pulling down 20 rebounds (6.6 rpg).  Ten of his twenty rebounds have come on the offensive glass.

UP NEXT
Saturday, February 2 vs. Morehead State - 3:15 p.m. (ESPN+)