Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Despite late game heroics, Eastern Kentucky's men's basketball team fell short of a victory with a 54-53 loss to Eastern Illinois at McBrayer Arena on Saturday.
 
Trailing by as many as 15 points nearly midway through the second half, Nick Mayo and DeAndre Dishman stepped up to lead a rally for Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels used a 17-5 run over nine minutes to pull within three points of the lead. The momentum swung in favor of EKU with 1:55 left after the Panthers were charged with a technical foul for calling a timeout they didn't have.
 
Dedric Boyd hit only 1-of-2 from the line, while Montell Goodwin hit two big free throws for the Panthers just seconds later to extend their lead to five. Dishman took control for the Colonels on the ensuing possession, battling through a sea of defenders to hit a layup with just 59 seconds remaining. After a monstrous block by Zach Charles, Dujuanta Weaver drew a charge on an EIU throw in to give the Colonels another shot.
 
Boyd hit a tough rightwing fader with 34 seconds left to pull the Colonels within one. A foul sent the Panthers to the line where they failed to capitalize on a one-and-one opportunity. EKU had a chance to grab the go-ahead bucket with 11 seconds remaining, but a turnover put the ball back in the hands of Eastern Illinois and forced the Colonels to foul.
 
Roy Crossland missed on the front end of another one-and-one opportunity and Nick Mayo came down with the rebound with seven seconds left. With the game on the line, smothering defense by the Panthers forced Mayo to take a difficult three-point shot which fell short of the basket as the final buzzer sounded.
 
Eastern Kentucky (6-11, 0-4 OVC) had a tough outing from the field, shooting only 22 percent in the first half and 36 percent for the game. Dishman and Mayo led the Colonels in scoring with 12 a piece, while Dishman grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Eastern Illinois (6-9, 2-2 OVC) didn't have a great shooting effort either, hitting 36 percent of its shots on the night. Muusa Dama scored a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds with Montell Goodwin adding on another 15 points.
 
The Colonels will be back in action on Thursday at the University of Tennessee at Martin in the first leg of a two-game road trip. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.