CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Kentucky men's basketball team led from start to finish Saturday afternoon while cruising to a 71-46 win over Eastern Illinois in Lantz Arena. With the win, the Colonels (8-8, 5-3 OVC) improve to .500 overall for the first time since late November.

All three EKU seniors posted double figures in the Colonels' fourth straight win over Eastern Illinois (3-12, 2-7). Jason McLeish led all players with 20 points, the fifth time this season he has reached the 20-point plateau. Meanwhile, Matt Witt added 19 points and Alonzo Hird came through with 10.

For the host Panthers, Jake Byrne and George Tandy were the only players to score more than four points on the afternoon. Byrne came off the bench to tally 14 points on 85.7 percent shooting (6-of-7) while Tandy netted 12 points. EIU's leading scorer, Josh Gomes (15.1 ppg), was held to just four second-half points.

Baskets by junior Michael Brock, McLeish and freshman Mike Rose quickly gave Eastern Kentucky a 7-0 lead two minutes into the opening half, and the Colonels never looked back. A tip-in by sophomore Darnell Dialls then put EKU ahead by 10 points, 12-2, with 14:29 showing on the clock. The Colonels extended their advantage to 18 at the break, 36-18, thanks to a Hird putback at the buzzer.

Two Eastern Illinois lay-ups at the start of the second half helped the Panthers cut the deficit to 14, 36-22, but EIU would get no closer the rest of the way. Three-pointers by McLeish and Witt enabled the Colonels to stretch their cushion up to 20 points a few minutes later, 48-28. Eastern Illinois' 46 points equaled a season-low given up by Eastern Kentucky in 2005-06.

Eastern Kentucky returns home to next face Jacksonville State on Thursday, Jan. 19. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.