Eastern Men Defeat Houston Baptist

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois sophomore forward Josh Piper posted a double-double in the Panthers 64-44 win over Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Lantz Arena. EIU improves to 3-4 on the season.

EIU scored 14 unanswered points to start the contest, racing out to an early 14-0 lead at the 11:33 mark in the first half. The Panthers led from start to finish and eventually took a 32-15 advantage into the locker room.

The Huskies (3-3) got within eight (39-31) with 11:41 left in the game before the Panthers closed the contest by going on a 25-13 run. EIU hit 66.7 percent of its shots in the second stanza, going 10-for-15 from the floor.

Piper led group of three Panthers who scored in double figures with 16 points. The Champaign, Ill., native went 4-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Sherman Blanford also added 15 points while Malcolm Herron chipped in 12 points.

Defensively, the Panthers outrebounded the Huskies 32-22 led by Piper who grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Blanford also pulled down eight rebounds in the victory. EIU forced 20 Houston Baptist turnovers while holding the Huskies to only a 35 percent shooting percentage (14-for-40) on the day.

Tyler Russell paced the Huskies with 11 points while Marcus Davis led Houston Baptist on the glass with seven rebounds. Art Bernardi and Rob Lewis both added eight points in the loss for the Huskies.

The Panthers return to action on Nov. 28 when they play host to Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. inside Lantz Arena.