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EASTERN ILLINOIS (5-13, 1-6 OVC) vs. Morehead State (12-7, 7-1 OVC)
Thursday, January 23  •  8 pm 
Charleston, Ill.  •  Groniger Arena

GAME INFORMATION
NOTES: EIU Complete Game Notes
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: ESPNU
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: EIU leads 26-23
LAST MEETING: @MORE 69, EIU 57 on Feb. 10, 2024

GAME 19
Eastern Illinois hosts first place Morehead State on Thursday night with the game televised on ESPNU as part of the OVC's television package.  EIU lost both games on its road swing in Tennessee  last week falling to 5-13 overall, 1-6 in the OVC.  The Panthers have lost five straight with three of those five losses by five points or less.   Morehead State comes into the game in first place in the OVC having won four straight and nine of their last ten games.  The Eagles are 12-7 overall, 7-1 in the OVC.

JACOBI WITH ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Kooper Jacobi posted his second straight double-double on Saturday finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds at Tennessee State.  It was the seventh double-double of the season for the graduate student which leads the OVC and ranks 25th in the NCAA this season.  Jacobi was 6-of-12 from the field moving up to 10th in the league in field goal percentage at 44.3 percent.  Jacobi has scored in double figures in 15 of 18 games this season while pulling down double figure rebounds in eight games.  He just missed additional double-double chances with double figure points and nine rebounds at Northwestern, at Valparaiso and against SIUE.  His 9.5 rebounds per game leads the OVC and is 20th in the NCAA.  

FRUSTER FROM 3-POINT RANGE
Zion Fruster has been one of the Panthers most consistent scorers since the team returned from winter break. He started with 15 points in the home win over Blackburn and followed that with back-to-back 20-plus point games against Lindenwood and Western Illinois.  Fruster scored 20 of his season high 29 points in the opening half against Lindenwood.  For the season he is averaging 13.4 points per game but leads the Panthers in scoring in OVC play at 17.1 points per game.  Fruster went 2-for-5 from 3-point range with 18 points at Tennessee State and has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in all 18 games.  He and Jaylon Johnson (TTU) are the only OVC players with at least one made 3-pointer in every game this season.  The NCAA record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer made is 91 set by EIU's Mack Smith.

UP NEXT
Saturday - January 25 vs. Southern Indiana, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)