Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team dropped its Battle for the Capital finale to Cleveland State, 65-51, on Saturday afternoon at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
 
Jomaru Brown led the Colonels with 15 points on the day. Senior Ty Taylor chipped in 11. Junior Darius Hicks finished with six points and team-high 15 rebounds. That matches the most rebounds by a Colonel in a single game since at least the 2003-04 season.
 
After Cleveland State ran out to an early 9-3 lead, EKU used a 9-0 run to grab a 12-9 advantage when Jomaru Brown drained a jumper at the 12:45 mark of the first half.
 
The Colonels claimed their largest lead of the first half when senior Ty Taylor converted a second-chance jumper in the paint to make it 26-18 with 5:25 remaining.
 
Cleveland State, however, closed out the half on a 12-3 run, as a bucket by Jeremy Sanchez with just over 30 seconds on the clock gave the Vikings a 30-29 advantage at the break.
 
CSU carried that momentum into the second half, outscoring Eastern 16-5 over the first eight minutes of the half. A layup by Hugo Ferreira gave the Vikings an 11-point lead, 45-34, with just over 12 minutes to play.
 
Eastern cut the deficit to nine, 56-47, on a Ty Taylor jumper with 2:22 left; however, Cleveland State responded with a pair of free throws on the opposite end and led by double digits the rest of the way.
 
EKU won the turnover battle, 21-14; however, the Colonels shot only 25 percent from the field (13-of-51) on the day.
 
Tre Gomillion paced CSU with a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double.
 
EKU will take a break over Thanksgiving before returning to action at USC Upstate on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Tip from Spartanburg, South Carolina is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.