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EASTERN ILLINOIS (6-8, 0-1 OVC) at UT Martin (9-6, 2-0 OVC)
Thursday, Jan. 4  •  8 pm 
Martin, Tenn.  •  Elam Center

GAME INFO
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: ESPNU (also streaming on ESPN3 & Watch ESPN app)
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: EIU leads 30-27
LAST MEETING: @EIU 77, UTM 75 on Feb. 9, 2023
NOTES: Complete EIU Game Notes

GAME 15
Eastern Illinois enters the second week of the Ohio Valley Conference season with a pair of road games at UT Martin and Little Rock as the Panthers will play their opening three conference contests away from home.  After going 6-7 in the non-conference slate, EIU opened OVC play last Friday night with a road loss at SIUE to fall to 6-8 on the year.  It marked the fourth time in the last five years that EIU has opened OVC play on the road with losses in all four previous road openers.  EIU began OVC play 2-0 last season with a pair of home wins.  UT Martin won both of its games during the opening week of conference play as the Skyhawks stand alone at the top of the conference leader board at 2-0, 9-6 overall.  

DAVIS POSTS CAREER NUMBER IN OVC OPENER
Kyndall Davis had the fifth 20-point scoring game of the season for an Eastern Illinois player as he came off the bench in the OVC opener at SIUE to score 23 points.  The 23-points was a career-high for the junior transfer with his previous NCAA Division I high of 21 points coming against Delaware State during his two years playing at Long Island University.  It was Davis' third double figure scoring game this season as he is averaging 12.5 points per game over the last five contests.  The previous high for an EIU player this season was 22 points, twice by Nakyel Shelton.

SAWYER IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN FIRST START
Corey Sawyer Jr made his first start of the season on Friday in the OVC opener at SIUE and responded with 11 points.  It marked his fourth double figure scoring game this season which includes a high of 18 points against Blackburn and double figure efforts against IUPUI (15 pts) and Central Arkansas (12 pts).  In the Panthers final three home games of the non-conference schedule Sawyer had been EIU's top offensive scorer.  He added a 5-of-6 night at the foul line at SIUE.  Last season in junior college Sawyer averaged 8.8 made free throws per game (2nd in JUCO).

UP NEXT
Saturday, January 6 at Little Rock - 3 pm (ESPN+)