EASTERN ILLINOIS (1-3) vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (1-2)
Sunday, Nov. 15  •  2 pm 
Charleston, Ill..  •  Groniger Arena

GAME INFORMATION 
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 6-1
LAST MEETING: @PFW 74, EIU 69 on Dec. 4, 2019
NOTES: EIU Complete Game Notes

GAME 5
Eastern Illinois faces another Mid-Major team for the first time this season on Sunday as the Panthers host Purdue Fort Wayne from the Horizon League.  EIU opened the year with road losses at Power Conference schools Indiana, Iowa and Notre Dame before a win over NCAA Division III Blackburn.  EIU is now 1-3.  Purdue Fort Wayne enters at 1-2 with its win also over a lower level opponent

WELCH FIRES AWAY FROM 3-POINT RANGE
Gavin Welch opened the game at Notre Dame knocking down his first three 3-pointers before finishing the game with four made 3's and 13 points.  On Wednesday in the home opener, the transfer forward made seven 3-pointers in the first half on his way to a 21 point per performance against Blackburn.  The seven made 3-pointers are tied for the eighth most in a game in school history.  Welch is currently fourth in the OVC in 3-point field goal percentage.  EIU made 15 3-pointers against Blackburn, tied for the third most in school history.

WRIGHT JUST SHY OF A DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Freshman guard Jayden Wright had a quick start to his collegiate career with seven first half points and three assists in his debut at Indiana.  Wright was held scoreless in the next two games against Power Conference opponents before bouncing back with a near double-double on Wednesday night against Blackburn College.  Wright scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting while passing out a team-high nine assists.  He enters the weekend ranked sixth in the OVC in assists per game and ninth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

SIX PLAYERS SCORE IN DOUBLE FIGURES 
Eastern Illinois had balanced scoring in its 102-44 win over Blackburn College on Wednesday night as six Panthers finished in double figures.  Gavin Welch led the way with 21 points followed by Tanner Vogel (12), Jayden Wright (11), Daniel Ntambwe (10), Shia Francis (10) and Devin Davenport (10).  The last time EIU had six players score in double figures in a game was Nov. 6, 2024 against Earlham College.  The 102 points marked the 68th time EIU has scored 100 or more points in a game and fifth time under coach Marty Simmons.

UP NEXT
Tuesday, November 17 at #19 Vanderbilt (7 pm / SEC Network Plus)

SERIES INFORMATION
Eastern Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne will be meeting for just the eighth time when the two teams begin a home-and-home series this Sunday starting at Eastern Illinois.  EIU makes the return trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana as part of next year's schedule.  The Mastodons own a 6-1 lead in the all-time series with four straight wins including a 74-69 win in Fort Wayne in the last meeting on Dec. 4, 2019.  EIU's lone win in the series came on Nov. 18, 2012 with a 68-60 win in a game played at the Eastern Michigan George "Ice Man" Gervin Classic.

DID YOU KNOW
Eastern Illinois had 30 assists and just four turnovers in Wednesday's win over Blackburn College with Jayden Wright passing out a team-high nine followed by Jaden Miller with eight.  The last time EIU had 30 or more assists in a game was Dec. 22, 2025 against East-West University (32).  The last time EIU had four or fewer turnovers in a game was Jan. 13, 2025 against Morehead State (4).