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Box Score  |  Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois won its fourth straight home opener as the Panthers jumped out early to put away Chicago State, 98-34, on Tuesday night at Lantz Arena.
 
EIU improved to 1-2 on the season after opening last week on the road at No. 12 Texas Tech and Wisconsin.  Chicago State fell to 1-2 on the year.
 
EIU led 4-3 after the first two minutes of action before putting together a 25-0 run over the next six and a half minutes.  In the run Mack Smith knocked down three 3-pointers while Deang Deang added a couple of baskets.  Those two were part of a group of five EIU players that finished in double figures during the win.  Smith had 13 points, all in the first half.  Deang had 21 points going 7-of-10 from the field.
 
Andrew Lewis broke the scoring run by the Panthers with a pair of free throws with 11:33 to play in the first half.  Lewis was nearly all of the Cougars offense in the first half scoring ten of their 16 points as EIU led 56-16 at the intermission.
 
EIU's defense stepped up on the evening forcing 26 CSU turnovers which were converted into 30 points.  Marvin Johnson, George Dixon and Josiah Wallace all collected three steals as EIU finished with 12 as a team.    The Panthers limited Chicago State to 23 percent shooting for the night on 11-of-47 from the field. 
 
Jordan Skipper-Brown posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Dixon just missed his second double-double of the season with 15 points and nine rebounds.  Dixon did pass out a team high five assists as EIU finished with 28 as a team.  Johnson was the final Panther in double figures with 14 points.
 
Lewis ended the game with a team-high 14 points for Chicago State.  Xavier Johnson, the number eight scorer in the NCAA entering the game, was held to just four points on 2-of-12 shooting.