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Box Score  |  Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)

CHARLESTON, Ill. – A dominant second half carried Eastern Illinois men's basketball to its first win of the season as the Panthers rolled past NAIA member St. Mary of the Woods College, 102-40, on Monday afternoon during the Kid's Day Game at First Mid Court at Lantz Arena.
 
Six Eastern Illinois players scored in double figures in the win led by Kyle Carlesimo with 19 points while Cameron Haffner and Kyle Thomas both joined Carlesimo as double figure scorers off the bench.  Haffner had 17 points and Thomas 11.
 
EIU led 43-21 at the half holding SMWC to just 22 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.  Carlesimo hit his first four 3-pointers in the game including three straight as the Panthers opened a 9-7 lead into a 21-9 advantage midway through the opening half.  Carlesimo finished 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the game while EIU shot 7-of-14 from outside in the contest.  Haffner made the other three 3-pointers going 3-of-6.
 
In the second half, EIU's pressure defense continued to create turnovers as they forced SMWC into 32 turnovers while collecting 19 steals as a team, two shy of the single game school record.  The Panthers converted those turnovers into 40 points as they held SMWC to just seven second half points for the first 13 minutes of the second half.
 
EIU won the battle on the glass by a 50-35 margin with Carlesimo the top rebounder with seven. 
 
The Panthers shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half finishing the game shooting 51.5 percent.
 
Sincere Malone had ten points to go with five steals.  Kinyon Hodges had 15 points and Caleb Donaldson 12.
 
Braden Edington came off the bench for SMWC to score nine points. 
 
EIU is now 1-4 on the season.  St. Mary of the Woods fell to 3-3.