EASTERN ILLINOIS (7-11) vs. Blackburn (3-13)
Sunday, January 18  •  2 pm 
Charleston, Ill.  •  Groniger Arena

GAME INFO
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: Eastern Illinois leads 5-0
LAST MEETING: @EIU 99, Blackburn 55 on Dec. 28, 2024

GAME 19
Eastern Illinois and Blackburn College will play their postponed game from December 1 this Sunday afternoon as the Panthers host the Beavers at 2 pm at Groniger Arena.  EIU is 7-11 overall having its three-game win streak snapped on Thursday night at Little Rock.  The Panthers have won five straight at home.  Blackburn is 3-13 and plays a Saturday game against Westminster (Mo.) before coming to Charleston.
 
FISHER STEADY PLAY
Nazareth Fisher scored eight points for the third straight game going 4-of-4 from the field on Thursday at Little Rock.  Fisher added eight rebounds as he is averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds per game over the last three games.   His field goal percentage is also on the rise connecting at 81.2 percent from the field over the last four games (13-of-16).

JOHNSON SCORES IN THE POST
Prince Johnson turned his best offensive performance this season as the post player scored seven points at Little Rock going 3-for-3 from the field and 1-of-1 at the line.  Johnson added a blocked shot for his second straight game with block.  His previous season high was six points in the win over East-West.

BENCH PRODUCTION UP
Eastern Illinois finished with an advantage in bench production over its opponent for the second straight game with a 25-4 margin against Little Rock on Thursday.  EIU won the bench production battle over Western Illinois on Tuesday and has had the advantage in that category in eight total games this year.  For the season EIU is now averaging 23.5 points per game from its bench just slightly ahead of the 23.2 points per game for its opponents with their bench.

SERIES NOTES
Eastern Illinois and Blackburn meet for the sixth time on the basketball hardwood on Sunday afternoon.  EIU leads the all-time series 5-0 including a 99-55 win last year in Groniger Arena.  This marks the fourth straight season EIU has hosted Blackburn.  Prior to that the two schools had not met since 1917 when both schools played as members of the Little 19 Conference.

UP NEXT
Thursday – January 22, 2026 at Southern Indiana (7:30 pm / ESPN+)