Panthers Beat Illini In Men's Exhibition Game

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois had five players score in double figures on Friday night as the Panthers beat Illinois in front of a sold out crowd at Lantz Arena, 80-67, in an exhibition game added to benefit Hurricane Relief and the American Red Cross.
 
EIU will return to action on Monday night hosting Southern Indiana in its second exhibition game before opening the season on Nov. 11 at Nebraska.
 
Trailing 42-38 at the half, EIU went on an 8-3 run to open the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers by Montell Goodwin and Terrell Lewis.  It was Goodwin’s 3-pointer with 17:41 to play in that gave the Panthers a 46-45 lead.  Goodwin had a team high 14 points going 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
 
EIU would hold the lead the remainder of the game as they slowly built the advantage to seven points on a Mack Smith lay-up with 13:50 to go.  Part of the increased play was on the defensive end of the floor as the Panthers forced 15 second half Illinois turnovers which they converted into 14 second half points.
 
Illinois closed the gap back to two points with a Mark Smith jumper with 9:15 to play.  The Panthers then went on an 11-2 run to put the game away.  The final shot in the run was a 3-pointer by D’Angelo Jackson as EIU was 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in the second half and 9-of-17 for the game.
 
EIU would lead by as many as 15 points on a lay-up by Justice Green in the final minute.
 
Muusa Dama had 14 points and two blocked shots.  Jujuan Starks had 13 points and a pair of blocks.  Lewis added 13 points and Ray Crossland finished with 12.
 
Illinois had four players in double figures led by Kipper Nichols with 16 points.  Mark Smith had 15.

SIUE 95, Brescia 75

It's a new attitude and different look for the SIUE men's basketball team, third-year Head Coach Jon Harris said.

The Cougars showed those attributes and more Sunday as they rolled by Brescia 95-75 in an exhibition game at the Vadalabene Center. No fewer than 10 Cougars scored and five reached double figures in a tune-up for Friday's season opener at Purdue.

"I think we did some good things on the offensive end and we showed some depth," Harris said of the Cougars, who led by as much as 36 over Brescia, an NAIA school from western Kentucky. "I love the personality of this team and I like the pace we played at today. We're taking some steps forward."

Jalen Henry, Daniel Kinchen and Brandon Jackson combined for 47 points and 19 rebounds.

Henry, a 6-foot, 8-inch senior and the team's top returning scorer from last season, led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. Kinchen, a 6-3 junior guard and transfer from Alabama Southern contributed 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jackson, a 6-7 sophomore from East St. Louis, punched in 12 points and snared six rebounds. Jackson matched his top scoring output from last season, when he recorded a dozen points against Southeast Missouri.

"Jalen made some big plays, David can do what he did today and Brandon is a very talented player. He plays hard," Harris said.

Keenan Simmons (11 points) and Julian Torres (10 points) also pitched in for SIUE, which made 35 of 66 shots, including 9 of 29 threes. The Cougars outrebounded the Bearcats 51-34.

"We did some good things, but we have to compete hard on the defensive end from start to finish," Harris said.

Kinchen ignited an 11-0 run midway through the first half. He scored seven points, including a 3-point to push the Cougars in front 20-12. Brescia countered with a seven-point spurt of its own, but the Cougars went on a 15-0 spree to build a 35-19 lead and never look back. They led 49-25 at half.

"This team is just scratching the surface," Henry said of the Cougars' talent. "We have so much potential. We just have to go out and win games."

Jackson added, "We're going to get better. I just want to bring some energy to the floor."

Kinchen noted, "Every day in practice we go hard at each other. There's good competition. I just want to bring energy to the team and make plays."

SIUE tips off at 7 p.m. Friday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana The Cougars then welcome Valparaiso at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Cougars' home opener. Valparaiso is the newest member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Brescia, which in the River States Conference, are scheduled to play Friday at Murray State.