CHARLESTON, Ill. – Four players finished in double figures for the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team as the Colonels defeated Eastern Illinois Monday night in Lantz Arena, 73-57. EKU (7-3, 2-1 OVC) has now won five straight meetings versus the Panthers (4-7, 1-3).

Junior Jamaal Douglas posted a game-high 16 points, two shy of his season best, on 71.4 percent (5-of-7) shooting from the field. Meanwhile, sophomore Mike Rose netted 14 points while freshman Adam Leonard chipped in with 13. Senior Julian Mascoll notched all 10 of his points in the second half.

For Eastern Illinois, three players reached double figures led by Romain Martin's 15 tallies. However, the Panthers went 0-12 from three-point land on the evening marking the second consecutive time EIU failed to hit a three-pointer against the Colonels.

The two teams battled back and forth early with the host Panthers holding a 16-14 lead with 12:30 left in the first half. From there, Eastern Kentucky rattled off the next nine points, capped by a Josh Daniel three-pointer, and never trailed the rest of the way. The Colonels took a 35-25 lead into intermission thanks to shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from behind the arc in the opening stanza.

Eastern Illinois crept to within seven points, 37-30, early in the second half, but a 17-2 EKU spurt a few minutes later essential sealed the Colonels' second league victory of the season.

Eastern Kentucky concludes its two-game OVC road swing at UT Martin on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Eastern has lost six of the last seven games against the Skyhawks in Martin, Tenn. Tip time is slated for 8:30 p.m.