THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 78, Chicago State 56
@Northern Kentucky 74,
Tennessee Tech 65
EASTERN ILLINOIS 78, CHICAGO STATE 56
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois held Chicago State to 19 percent shooting in the first half while receiving some solid play from its post players as the Panthers won their home opener Thursday afternoon at First Mid Court at Lantz Arena, 78-56, over the Cougars.
EIU improved to 1-3 on the season, CSU fell to 0-4.
EIU held a 37-14 lead at the half as the Panthers defense held CSU to 4-of-21 from the field. The Panthers pulled out to a 17-3 lead with Marvin Johnson finishing a driving lay-up in the lane with 9:53 to play in the first. Johnson had four points in the early run as he was one of four EIU players in double figures on the day finishing with 11.
Isaiah Lewis snapped EIU's opening run with a bucket at the 9:15 mark. Lewis was one of three Cougars in double figures finishing with 11.
Sammy Friday IV's lay-up in the paint with 1:52 to play in the first gave EIU a 22-point lead. Friday would convert again in the paint with 22 seconds left in the half as the graduate transfer finished with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds. EIU finished the day with a 40-to-30 advantage on the glass with 14 offensive rebounds leading to 15 second chance points.
EIU and CSU would heat up their offenses in the second half. The Panthers shot 56 percent in the second half to finish at 48 percent for the game. CSU connected for 52 percent in the second half. The Panthers would keep the margin at 20 or more points for most of the second half. A 3-pointer by Xavier Johnson with 8:53 left in the game closed the gap to 18 points, the closest CSU would get in the second half.
Jordan Skipper-Brown was perfect from the field going 6-of-6 as he finished with 13 points with Josiah Wallace rounding out the EIU double figure scorers with 15. Mack Smith knocked down two 3-pointers to extend his streak to 85 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer.
Levelle Zeigler had 11 points and Aaris-Monte Bonds had 10 for Chicago State.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 74, TENNESSEE TECH 65
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Facing its second contest in as many days, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team showed improvement in its match-up with Northern Kentucky Thursday night, but the Golden Eagles ultimately fell to the Norse in the squads' first-ever match-up, 74-65.
Some of the same mistakes that plagued the purple and gold at Xavier on Wednesday evening made an appearance again Thursday, allowing Northern Kentucky to creep back from an early hole and take control of the game late in the second half.
The Norse used 18 rebounds on the offensive glass, 20 turnovers and an 11-for-23 showing at the charity stripe from the Golden Eagles to turn an eight-point Tech lead into a 15-point advantage of their own with four minutes to play.
Continuing its incredible effort and intensity it displayed all year in the second half, the Tech squad put forth a late rally, cutting the NKU lead to just six points with a little under two minutes in the contest. The Norse knocked down a dagger of a 3-pointer on their next possession, however, and rode free throws to the finish line for the nine-point victory.
The Golden Eagles showed life early in the contest, shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening half before foul troubles really started to come to light. Sophomore point guard Keishawn Davidson was limited to just 20 minutes of action and would eventually foul out with seven points and four rebounds to his name. Five more Tech players totaled at least three fouls in the contest as well.
There were several bright spots on the floor for the purple and gold on the night, led by freshman forward Austin Harvell, who recorded his first collegiate double-double. The rookie posted team-highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Fellow freshman forward Kenny White Jr. tacked on 11 points, seven boards and three steals while registering zero turnovers. Seven-footer Marcus Hopkins contributed eight points in a limited 12 minutes of action. First-year forward Jalen Stayton posted his first collegiate points with a 3-pointer late in the ball game.
Junior guard Jr. Clay made his 2020-21 debut, playing 23 minutes off the bench after missing the team's first three contests of the year due to COVID protocols. He scored 10 points with a team-high three makes from downtown while dishing out three assists and recording a team-best two steals.