EIU Wins Home Opener, Valparaiso Downs SIUE

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois won its fourth straight home opener as the Panthers jumped out early to put away Chicago State, 98-34, on Tuesday night at Lantz Arena.

EIU improved to 1-2 on the season after opening last week on the road at No. 12 Texas Tech and Wisconsin.  Chicago State fell to 1-2 on the year.

EIU led 4-3 after the first two minutes of action before putting together a 25-0 run over the next six and a half minutes.  In the run Mack Smith knocked down three 3-pointers while Deang Deang added a couple of baskets.  Those two were part of a group of five EIU players that finished in double figures during the win.  Smith had 13 points, all in the first half.  Deang had 21 points going 7-of-10 from the field.

Andrew Lewis broke the scoring run by the Panthers with a pair of free throws with 11:33 to play in the first half.  Lewis was nearly all of the Cougars offense in the first half scoring ten of their 16 points as EIU led 56-16 at the intermission.

EIU’s defense stepped up on the evening forcing 26 CSU turnovers which were converted into 30 points.  Marvin Johnson, George Dixon and Josiah Wallace all collected three steals as EIU finished with 12 as a team.    The Panthers limited Chicago State to 23 percent shooting for the night on 11-of-47 from the field. 

Jordan Skipper-Brown posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Dixon just missed his second double-double of the season with 15 points and nine rebounds.  Dixon did pass out a team high five assists as EIU finished with 28 as a team.  Johnson was the final Panther in double figures with 14 points.

Lewis ended the game with a team-high 14 points for Chicago State.  Xavier Johnson, the number eight scorer in the NCAA entering the game, was held to just four points on 2-of-12 shooting.

Valparaiso Downs SIUE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE showed its strong side in the first half Tuesday against Valparaiso at the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center.
Then the visiting Crusaders went to work in the second half in reversing a deficit, posting an 89-76 victory and improving to 2-1. SIUE dropped to 1-2.
"It was a tale of two halves," SIUE Head Coach Brain Barone said. "It's a lot of fun coaching these guys because they have a lot of energy. We had a lot of hustle in the first half, but not as much in the second half. So we have to be better at sustaining our energy."

The Cougars made 20 of 34 first-half shots and enjoyed a 14-0 spree at one point to grab a 46-44 halftime lead. The Crusaders considered themselves fortunate they were within striking distance of them at the break.

"They (Cougars) took it to us at the start of the game," Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich said. "They brought the fight. But I thought we locked in defensively the second half."

Offensively, too. Sophomore Javon Freeman-Liberty trigged the Crusaders' comeback by scoring 18 of his career-best 30 points in the second half. The 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore guard, nephew of former University of Illinois star Marcus Liberty, also snared a game-best 13 rebounds.
"It's the best game I've had so far," Freeman-Liberty said.

The Cougars had their own share of standouts. Guard Tyresse Williford led the way with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Brandon Jackson contributed 17 points and six rebounds. Cam Williams netted 13 points, Zeke Moore popped in 11 points and Mike Adewunmi collected a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"The good thing about Mike is that he stayed in shape all summer and he came to ready to roll," Barone said of the Texas  JUCO recruit.
SIUE's shooting sagged a bit early in the second half when the Cougars made just 4 of 17 shots and saw Valpo surge ahead 69-54 with less than 10 minutes to play. Overall, SIUE hit on 32 of 68 shots, was 4-for-18 from 3-point range, made 8 of 16 free throws and got outrebounded 44-36. Yet the Cougars fought back and slice the deficit to single digits late in the game.

"When I had to sit down (early in the second half with foul problems), it was probably a game changer," Williford said. "But I like our fight. We want to get better and better and I know we will bounce back."
Barone saw plenty of good signs, too.

"We came out and played hard and we have to continue to do that," he said. "We're establishing a culture here where we want to play with energy and then keep playing with more of it. We are getting there."

Valpo's Nick Robinson (19 points) and Mileek McMillen (15 points) complemented Freeman-Liberty's production and 6-7 freshman Donovan Clay of Alton had five points in his first start.

"It was a great environment and it felt good," Clay said of returning home. "It was a lot of fun."
The Cougars hit the road for a Saturday afternoon contest at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas and then play Monday, Nov. 18 at South Dakota. SIUE doesn't return home until Saturday, Nov. 23, when Northern Illinois comes calling at 2 p.m.