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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Corey Wickware and Mark Yelovich combined for 43 points to help host SIUE down the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball Saturday night, 80-74.

The Cougars (7-14, 5-7 OVC) shot 56.1 percent from the floor, their second highest shooting percentage of the season, in the victory. Wickware led all players with a season-high 23 points. Yelovich reached the 20-point plateau for the second consecutive game.

Eastern (13-12, 6-6) battled foul trouble all game long. Leading scorer Jaron Jones fouled out with 7:33 remaining while junior Mike DiNunno had to exit the game with 1:20 left. DiNunno paced the Colonels with 20 tallies. Fellow junior #D’Mitri Riggs# added 15 points.

The first half featured four ties and 12 lead changes, with the largest lead by either team at four points. Senior Joshua Jones recorded 12 points in the opening frame, including a jumper in the paint right before halftime to give EKU a 33-32 lead.

Eastern built a six-point cushion on three occasions early in the second half, but could not pull away from SIUE. Wickware later scored eight straight Cougar points to help put the home team back in front, 52-51.

The game was back-and-forth for the next few minutes until Jaron Jones fouled out. Following the Jones foul, Wickware hit two free throws to put SIUE ahead for good, 59-57. Yelovich knocked down a three-pointer on the Cougars’ following possession to make the score, 62-57.

Eastern never got closer than three points the rest of the way as the Cougars lived at the free throw line in the final five minutes (18 attempts).

The Colonels play five of their final six regular season games at home beginning with Mid-Continent on Tuesday, Feb. 7. That Mid-Continent game is ‘Dollar Night’ sponsored by Aramark and EKU Dining. All general admission tickets, hot dogs and popcorn are just $1.