Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky withstood a 16-4 late-game run to beat the Norfolk State and advance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), 81-75, Tuesday night in McBrayer Arena.
 
The Colonels will play at home again Friday at 7 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined. Updates will be sent out through EKUSports.com and @EKUHoops on twitter in the coming days.  There is no formal bracket for the tournament.  The match-ups for each round are determined after the preceding round is completed.
 
The Spartans (20-14) cut a 13-point EKU lead to one, 71-70, with 3:31 to go.  After a drawn charge by sophomore guard Isaac McGlone, a Ja'Mill Powell three-pointer brought the lead back to four.  Three scoreless minutes later, senior guard Corey Walden put the game away with an and-one layup with 47 seconds to go that pushed the Colonels' (20-11) lead to seven.
 
Walden and senior forward Eric Stutz both finished with 22 points.  Walden added eight assists and three steals, equaling his nation-leading average of 3.1 per game. Stutz scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, making five of six shots.
 
Powell contributed 12 points to the total, all coming from three-point land. Fellow senior Timmy Knipp added 13 points, two rebounds and three assists. 
 
Rashid Gatson, a 6-foot-9 forward, finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Norfolk State. Gatson went 10-of-11 from the field in 38 minutes. 
 
The Spartans shot 61 percent from the field and from three-point range.  NSU also totaled 44 points in the paint but had 14 turnovers, seven more than EKU.  The seven-turnover difference between the two equaled EKU's nation-leading ratio of plus 7.3.
 
Both teams started the game hot.  Norfolk State made their first 10 shots and EKU made seven of its first eight. The Spartans went into the half shooting 68 percent from the field.
 
The 81 EKU points were well above the 68.5 average Norfolk State had given up per game this season.  EKU also added nine steals.  EKU's largest lead was 14 with 12:33 to go in the second half.
 
NOTES
Eastern Kentucky is making its third straight appearance in a national postseason tournament.  The Colonels participated in the CIT in 2013 and played in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014.  EKU now has six postseason tournament trips in the last 11 years.
 
With its victory over Norfolk State in the CIT, the Colonels recorded the 10th 20-win season in program history.
 
Norfolk State's RPI of 167 is higher than nine of the 12 teams in the OVC.
 
Corey Walden is the only player ranked in the top-10 in the OVC in scoring (2nd), field goal percentage (9th), assists (7th) and steals (1st).  He finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting (62 percent), eight assists and three steals.
 
In 2012-13, Jeff Neubauer became the first EKU coach to win 20 or more games three times.  In 10 seasons on the EKU bench, he has now led the Colonels to five of the ten 20-win campaigns in EKU history.
 
Corey Walden broke the EKU single season and career records for steals against Belmont in the OVC Tournament semifinals.  With three more tonight, he now ranks sixth in OVC history with 230 career steals and his 93 steals this season are tied for the third most-ever in conference history.
 
Eastern Kentucky entered the game leading the nation in turnover margin (+7.3) and second in steals (9.7 spg).  The Colonels finished with seven fewer turnovers and nine steals.
 
The Colonels entered the game second in the nation in free throw percentage at 77.9 percent.  Eastern made 12-of-13 from the charity stripe for 92.3 percent on Tuesday.
 
Over the last two seasons, a total of 65 games, EKU has committed more turnovers than its opponent only four times.
 
Norfolk State entered the game limiting its opponents to 65.8 points, 41 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from three-point range.  EKU scored 81 points, shot 52 percent from the field and made 42 percent from three-point range.
 
Eric Stutz tied the program record for career games played.  He is tied with former Colonel Jeff Johnson (2010-14) with 131 games played.
 
With its 20th win of the season, the 2014-15 team is now tied with the 1944-45 and 2009-10 teams for the eighth most wins in program history.
 
EKU is 40-6 in its last 46 home games.
 
Eastern now leads the all-time series 3-1 and is 2-0 against the Spartans in Richmond.