EIU Comes Back to Beat Austin Peay, SIUE Falls

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Published on February 24 2020 6:20 am
Last Updated on February 24 2020 6:20 am

CHARLESTON, Ill. – A weekend full of comebacks best describes what the Eastern Illinois men’s basketball team just went through.  The Panthers trailed OVC co-leader Murray State by 27 points with 11:45 remaining on Thursday night before rallying to win 63-60. 

On Saturday, the Panthers once again found themselves trailing an OVC leader by double digits with over 11 minutes to go.  EIU once again rallied, this time in overtime, as they beat Austin Peay 83-80 in overtime sweeping the weekend home series.  

The Panthers improved to 14-14 on the season, 7-9 in the OVC.  APSU fell to 19-10 overall, 13-3 in the OVC.

The two teams traded the lead 14 times in the first half with Austin Peay taking a 35-34 lead into the locker room at the half.  Terry Taylor scored 16 of his 26 points in the first half.  EIU shot 52 percent in the opening half but APSU held the lead with a rebounding margin.

EIU and APSU continued to trade the lead through the opening five minutes of the second half before Jordyn Adams took control for the Governors.  He scored 26 of his game-high 31 points in the half.  He had three 3-pointers in the span of one minute, forty seconds that pushed APSU’s lead out to 61-48 with 11:11 to play.

After EIU cut it back to single digits on a Josiah Wallace jumper and Jordan Skipper-Brown dunk, Taylor answered to make it a double digit Governors lead with 8:46 left to play.

The Panthers then went on extended 14-4 run with Skipper-Brown scoring four points and both Mack Smith and Shareef Smith draining big 3’s.  A lay-up by Mack Smith tied it at 67-67 with 3:07 left to play as he finished with 15 points, one of four Panthers in double figures. 

George Dixon tied the game with 29 seconds left in regulation before Adams missed a long jumper with two seconds in regulation.

The teams traded the lead three more times with two ties in overtime before EIU closed out the game at the free throw line.  Wallace hit a pair of free throws and Mack Smith added one with five seconds left.  Austin Peay had three shots in the final 51 seconds including two missed 3-pointers.

Wallace led EIU with 23 points.  Dixon posted his tenth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Shareef Smith had ten.

Taylor had a double-double pulling down 16 rebounds to go with his 26 points.  Eli Abaev had 11 rebounds as APSU won the battle on the glass 41-34, but both teams collected 11 offensive rebounds.


Murray State 59, SIUE 58

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE's dramatic comeback fell a shot short Saturday as Murray State fought off the Cougars 59-58 at First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center.

The Cougars overcame a 36-19 halftime deficit and led 57-52 with 1:30 remaining, but the Racers regrouped in time for the narrow Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball victory.

 Murray State improved to 20-8 overall and 13-3 in the OVC, SIUE dropped to 7-22 and 4-12 in suffering its 13th consecutive setback to the Racers. The Cougars were within a basket of beating them for the first time since 2014.

"This league is amazing. We played so well and I thought we executed down the stretch," SIUE Head Coach Brian Barone said. "I thought we came out the second half and played like we cared, which is standard for these guys and this program."

He added: "I'm really proud of how our guys overcame adversity to put us in position to win it with seven seconds left. Our guys keep battling."
Tevin Brown's long three-pointer with 10 seconds to play gave Murray State a 59-58 lead. SIUE had two opportunities to win it, but couldn't get a clear shot and the Racers, who blew a 27-point second-half lead Thursday at Eastern Illinois, escaped with the win.

"We stayed composed and executed the play," Brown said of his game-winning shot. He scored 10 points, but his game-winning shot was his only three-pointer of the game.

Barone pointed out:  "He made a tough shot – it seemed like a 30-footer – to win it."

SIUE had its chances to win in the closing seconds, yet Murray State's defense stymied the Cougars. "They made a good block on Cam's shot and then we couldn't get a good shot on the final play," Barone said.

Murray State coach Mike McMahon said: "We came up with multiple stops in the last seven seconds and that's a credit to our players for their toughness with the game on the line."

Tyresse Williford kept the Cougars percolating by scoring a team-best 15 points, plus collecting seven assists and four rebounds. Zeke Moore added 10 points, Cam Williams had eight points and six rebounds, Shamar Wright supplied nine points and seven rebounds, while Anselm Uzuegbunem provided six points and seven rebounds. Brandon Jackson also pitched in eight points.

"We did everything in theory to win the game, so this one hurt," Barone said. "But give Murray State credit. They didn't let the same thing happen to them today that happened to them Thursday at Eastern Illinois."

Jaiveon Eaves of Murray State matched his career-high scoring effort with 21 points, including 17 the first half.

SIUE started its big rally early in the second half by outscoring Murray State 16-3 in the first eight minutes of the period to close to within 39-35. The Cougars knotted things at 45-45 on a Williams basket with 5:55 to go and took their first lead 47-45 on an Iziah James basket with 4:51 remaining. They extended it to five points in the final 90 seconds before the Racers regrouped to post their second win over the Cougars this season.

SIUE made 20 of 50 shots, including 2 of 14 from 3-point land. The Cougars sank 16 of 22 free throws and outrebounded the Racers 38-33. Murray State made 20 of 51 shots and hit 7 of 21 from beyond the arc. The Racers made only 12 of 24 free throws.

Murray State led at half, 36-19, thanks mainly to Eaves, a 6-foot, 2-inch senior guard. He made all five of his three-pointers and converted six of eight shots from the field. Williford and Wright tallied five first-half points each for the Cougars, who made only 8 of 27 shots and missed all eight of their three-pointers.They also committed nine turnovers.

The Cougars complete their regular season schedule next week. They play Thursday at UT Martin and then welcome Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 in their home finale, which is Senior Day.