Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University lost to Prairie View A&M, 76-64, in the final game of the EKU Classic on Tuesday in Baptist Health Arena.
 
Prairie View A&M broke a 14-14 tie with an 11-3 run.  Orlando Horton's lay-up and a 3-pointer from Nicholas Gazelas capped it and put the visitors ahead 25-17 with 8:10 remaining in the opening half.  A lay-up and two free throws from Charles Lane pushed the margin to 11, 36-25, with 1:41 on the clock. 
 
The Colonels scored the final three points of the half and went to the locker room down by eight, 36-28.  EKU out-rebounded the Panthers by 10 in the first half, but made just 2-of-11 attempts from 3-point range and went 8-for-19 at the free throw stripe.
 
Devontae Blanton scored EKU's first six points of the second half.  Michael Moreno came up with a steal in front of the Panther bench, tipped the ball to himself and then knocked down a long 3-pointer to make it a 2-point game, 39-37.
 
Prairie View A&M righted the ship and answered with a 15-3 run to seize control of the game.  Three at the free throw line from Lane pushed the Panther lead to 12, 52-40, with 12:53 to play.
 
Blanton led another Colonel charge, this time with a 7-0 run of his own.  His 3-pointer from the top of the key closed the gap to five, 52-47.  However, PVAMU scored the next four and EKU never got closer than five again.
 
Blanton finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.  He earned a spot on the EKU Classic All-Tournament Team.
 
EKU (2-2) shot 34 percent from the field for the game, 28 percent from long range (7-of-25) and made only 42 percent at the free throw line (11-for-26).
 
The Colonels grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded Prairie View 53-42, but scored just 11 second-chance points.  EKU turned the ball over five more times than the Panthers (13-8).
 
Lane had 20 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Panthers (4-2).  He was an EKU Classic All-Tournament Team selection.  Gazelas finished with 16 points on 4-fo-10 shooting from 3-point range.  Charles Smith IV, the EKU Classic MVP and All-Tournament Team member, had 11 points and five rebounds.
 
EKU will return to action on Monday at home against Troy.  Tip-off for the first-ever meeting with the Trojans is set for 7 p.m.
 
EKU Classic All-Tournament Team
Devontae Blanton, EKU
Charles Smith IV, Prairie View A&M (MVP)
Charles Lane Jr., Prairie View A&M
Jordan Sears, UT Martin
Issa Muhammad, UT Martin

Head Coach A.W. Hamilton Postgame Statement
"We go 11-for-26 from the free throw line, 42 percent.  You can't win games like that.  In the first half we were not shooting the ball very well.  We haven't shot the ball very well and we just killed ourselves at the free-throw line.  Instead of being down just a couple, we're down eight, but give them credit.  I thought they were a tough gritty team.  They beat us to some 50-50 balls, and we couldn't get our shots to fall.  We got a lot of things to improve on and we got to improve in a hurry.  I told the guys though we have a lot of time to talk about basketball, it's Thanksgiving.  We all have so much to be thankful for, so we have about a 36-hour window where they get to go spend some time with their families, eat some great meals and then we'll get back to work on Thanksgiving night."