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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team connected on 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) shots from deep in the second half to surge past Eastern Illinois, 67-47, Saturday night in McBrayer Arena.

EKU (15-11, 9-6 OVC) trailed by two at halftime, 26-24, but then made seven straight three-point attempts to take a 51-38 lead with 11:23 remaining in the game. EIU (8-17, 4-11 OVC) would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the night.

Senior Justin Stommes led the Colonels with 20 points on 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) shooting from deep. The Cold Springs, Minn., native reached 1,200 career points early in the game and moved into 17th on EKU’s all-time scoring list with 1,217 points. Freshman Jeff Johnson contributed with 16 points, while senior Spencer Perrin chipped in with 10 points and a career-high seven assists.

Jeremy Granger paced EIU with 15 points. L.C. Doss, meanwhile, scored eight of his 10 points in the first half.

The low-scoring first half featured seven ties and eight lead changes. EIU jumped out to a quick advantage and led by as many as five when Doss connected on a deep three-pointer to make it 14-9 with 9:42 remaining in the half.

EKU rallied, though, and three free throws by Stommes and a three-point play by senior Josh Daniel gave the Colonels their largest lead of the half, 20-16, with 5:28 on the clock. Another triple by Doss with 19 ticks on the clock, however, sent the Panthers into halftime ahead of EKU, 26-24.

Eastern Kentucky shot a season-low 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from three-point range in the first half.

The Colonels came alive in the second half and connected on seven of their first eight three-point attempts. A Johnson triple from the top of the key gave EKU its first double-digit lead of the night, 48-38, with 11:52 remaining. A three by Stommes on the Colonels’ next possession ballooned that lead to 13 points.

Eastern Kentucky has now defeated Eastern Illinois nine straight times in McBrayer Arena dating back to 2001.

EKU concludes its home schedule Wednesday night, Feb. 16, when Morehead State visits McBrayer Arena at 7 p.m.