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hoto Gallery (by Sandy King)
LAWRENCE, KAN. – Eastern Illinois cut a 13-point halftime deficit down to one point with five minutes remaining but the Panthers could not pull off the upset falling 71-63 on Tuesday night at No. 5 Kansas.
The Panthers trailed 38-25 at the break after Kansas opened on an 8-0 run to start the game with baskets by Hunter Dickinson. He would hit his first seven shots finishing with 25 points in the game.
Kansas shot 56 percent in the opening half while holding EIU to just 30 percent from the field. Â
EIU gained a little bit of momentum to close the half as Tiger Booker banked home a 3-pointer. Booker returned to the Panthers line-up after missing four games with an injury and finished with 20 points.
The made bank shot to close the first half seemed to spark the Panthers as they cut the lead to single digits on a
Kooper Jacobi 3-pointer with 17:25 to play.
The Panthers finished off a 13-2 run trimming the Jayhawks advantage to 42-38 with 15:48 to play on a three-point play by
Dan Luers.
EIU would get to within two points twice down the stretch and then closed to within one point as Booker made free throws with 5-minutes remaining to make it 59-58.Â
Dickinson provided the answer for Kansas with his own three-point play and the Jayhawks kept EIU at-bay.
Kansas finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field with Kevin McCullar Jr adding 18 points.
The Panthers had four players in double figures led by Booker's 20 points. Jacobi and
Nakyel Shelton each had 14 points with Luers chipping in with ten.
EIU finished the night with a 36-33 rebounding edge leading to 13 second chance points. Jacobi just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.
EIU falls to 3-5 overall.  Kansas is now 7-1.