Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – Alabama State had an answer for each of Eastern Illinois runs in the second half as the Hornets held off the Panthers in the second game of the Bobcat Battle in Athens, Ohio.
ASU led 36-29 at the half, holding on for a 67-58 win.
In the opening half it was the play of Amarr Knox and Alex Anderson that paced the Hornets as they combined for 24 of the 36 first half ASU points. Knox finished with 18 points after coming into the game averaging just 1.2 points per game.
In the second half EIU fed the ball on its first couple of possessions to Caleb Donaldson as he scored six early points to help the Panthers erase the halftime deficit and close to within two points at 39-37 with 16:25 left in the game. Donaldson would finish with 12 points, one of two Panthers in double figures.
TJ Madlock answered the first EIU run with a jumper from the corner as the Hornets pushed the lead back out to nine points with 12:44 left in the game.
After EIU closed to within two points again with a 7-0 run capped by a pair of Nick Ellington free throws, it was Ronald McCoy with a 3-pointer to answer the Panthers run as EIU never closed to within one possession for the remainder of the game.
Ellington just missed a double-double with eight points and ten rebounds. Kinyon Hodges had 12 points for EIU as the Panthers fell to 1-6 on the season.
Anderson finished with 15 points for ASU as they won their first game of the year moving to 1-6.