CHARLESTON, Ill. - Western Illinois senior
Josh Rivers sunk a career-best six threes, leading the Leathernecks with a career-best 24 points, but it wasn't enough as Eastern Illinois cleared up a 13-point deficit in the final six minutes to capture the win, 63-56.
Sophomore guard Tyler Laser, Eastern's third-highest leading scorer with 10.8 points per game, hit his only field goal of the game at 6:18, a three-point shot, that put the Panthers (3-6) ahead of the Leathernecks (4-6), 51-49. The lead was Eastern's first lead since the opening three-point shot of the game.
Laser's three was a part of a 12-2 run ending with a three-point Eastern lead, 52-49. Rivers hit a three for a tie game, 52-52 with 5:10 remaining. The teams traded jumpers for a final tie at 54-54 just before the Panthers took off on a 9-2 run, including making 4-for-4 from the line for a final 63-56 lead.
The Leathernecks opened the game with a 12-3 run ending at 15:22 with a
David DuBois layup. The closest the Panthers could come in the half was four at 3:55, but Rivers hit back-to-back three pointers within a minute to give the Western its greatest lead at 12, 21-33. The Panthers' Jay Smith answered back with a three, 24-33 and Edin Suljic slammed in a dunk with 39 seconds left in the half. Western had a nine-point lead heading into the locker room, 35-26.
Back-to-back jumpers from DuBois and Rivers to start the second half put Western ahead 13, 39-26, before Eastern went on a 9-0 run interrupted by another Rivers' three. Suljic recorded five-straight points and Rivers hit another three to extend the lead back out to seven, 47-40. T.J. Marion sparked an 8-2 Eastern run that ended with Laser's three and the lead.
The Leathernecks out-shot the Panthers with 51.1 percent (23-45) from the field, 50 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc and 80 percent (4-5) from the line--all first-half shots. Eastern shot 49 percent (24-49) from the field, 40 percent (6-15) from the three-point line and 60 percent (9-15) from the charity stripe. Rivers hit 3-of-3 from downtown to allow Western a 100 percent three-point field goal percentage in the first half.
Western held Eastern's top three scorers under their scoring average per game in Laser (10.8 ppg) to only three points, Romain Martin (18 ppg) to only nine points and Marion (12.3 ppg) to only 10 points. Marion and Suljic led Eastern in scoring with 10 points each. Marion also led in pulling down the boards with eight rebounds.
Behind Rivers, DuBois was the only other Leatherneck in double digits with 12 points.
James Granstra tied a career-best and led Western in rebounding with eight. Western Illinois held the lead for 33 minutes of the game.
The Western Illinois men's basketball team will face another Ohio Valley opponent in Southeast Missouri State, Sunday, December 21, at 3 p.m. in the Show Me Center.
Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari postgame quotes:"I thought our guys fought extremely hard. We were out-manned, but I give our guys entire credit. Such a tremendous performance by
Josh Rivers kept us in the game."
"I don't think you're ever in control on the road, especially when you're not going to get a break or go to the free throw line. Eastern kept coming and they have some great players. We didn't have much of a match inside, but I am proud of our guys to be in that game. We had a chance to win it, but the way we played was admirable."
"We have to learn from it and see what else we can do and keep after it. We have to keep trying to find ways to keep battling."
