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Men's Basketball

Second Half Surge Lifts Colonels over Cougars

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RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky used a strong second half to earn a come-from-behind win over visiting SIUE in Ohio Valley Conference basketball Saturday night at McBrayer Arena.

SIUE fell to 7-10 overall and 3-3 in the OVC and has lost three of its last four games. Eastern Kentucky improved to 11-6 and 3-1 in the OVC.

The Cougars used a 9-0 run on three consecutive three-pointers to open a seven-point advantage with 12:04 to play before halftime. C.J. Carr hit back-to-back threes before Jake Newton hit the third to make it 18-11 SIUE.

EKU ran off the next 11 points to take a 22-18 lead when Eric Stutz scored a tip-in bucket 7:24 before half.

The teams traded the lead four times before the break and the Cougars held a 33-32 lead at halftime.

The Colonels used a 10-0 run to start the second half to build a lead they would not relinquish. SIUE did not score in the second half until a Kris Davis layup with 15:01 left made it 42-35 EKU.

"We went from having great intensity in the first half to where we had zero (to start the second half)," SIUE Head Coach Lennox Forrester said. "We let them get some easy baskets. Our guys just got off to a poor start in the second half and things started rolling downhill."

EKU outscored SIUE 22-9 over the next seven minutes and had a 20-point cushion (64-44) thanks a Ja'Mill Powell layup with 8:02 to play in the game.

The Cougars showed a spark of life following the media timeout with 7:58 left. SIUE rallied for a 15-5 run between timeouts and had trimmed the lead to 69-59. Maurice Wiltz had five of the Cougars' points thanks to a layup and a three-pointer. Newton scored four on a three-pointer and a free throw. Michael Messer added a three-pointer during the run.

It was as close as the Cougars would come. EKU finished the game with a 9-3 run of its own.

EKU shot 66.7 percent (14-21) from the field in the second half and 56.5 percent (26-46) for the game. The Colonels outscored SIUE 38-18 on points in the paint.

"I know we can play better than we did tonight," Forrester said. "When you're on the road you've got to be tough. We didn't play with the toughness we needed for most of the game and especially in the second half."

Davis led SIUE with 15 points. Wiltz was the only other SIUE player in double figures. He finished with 13 points. Keaton Jackson scored nine points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, helping the Cougars outrebound EKU 32-23 for the game.

Stutz paced the Colonels with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds. Corey Walden added 19 points. Timmy Knipp scored 14 for EKU.

SIUE returns home for home game Thursday and Saturday before returning to road for four straight games. The Cougars will play host to Austin Peay in a 7 p.m. game Thursday at Vadalabene Center

"Just because we're playing at home doesn't guarantee anything," Forrester said. Even though we have been decent at home."

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Players Mentioned

C.J. Carr

#4 C.J. Carr

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Kris Davis

#1 Kris Davis

G
6' 2"
Senior
Keaton Jackson

#3 Keaton Jackson

F
6' 10"
Senior
Michael Messer

#30 Michael Messer

G
6' 6"
Senior
Jake Newton

#13 Jake Newton

F
6' 6"
Junior
Maurice Wiltz

#2 Maurice Wiltz

G
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

C.J. Carr

#4 C.J. Carr

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Kris Davis

#1 Kris Davis

6' 2"
Senior
G
Keaton Jackson

#3 Keaton Jackson

6' 10"
Senior
F
Michael Messer

#30 Michael Messer

6' 6"
Senior
G
Jake Newton

#13 Jake Newton

6' 6"
Junior
F
Maurice Wiltz

#2 Maurice Wiltz

6' 2"
Senior
G