Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Leland Walker scored a career-high 29 points and the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team tied the program record with a 7-0 conference start after an 89-76 win over second place University of North Florida on Saturday at Baptist Health Arena.
 
The Colonels (11-9, 7-0 ASUN) were down two, 55-53 after a lay-up from Jake van der Heijden with 15:18 left in the game.  At the other end of the court, Isaiah Cozart converted a one-handed jumper and was fouled.  The senior center hit the free throw to put his team ahead 56-55 and the home team led the rest of the way.
 
Cozart's old-fashioned 3-point play started a 15-5 run.  Walker's lay-up pushed the margin to five, 60-55.  Devontae Blanton finished the run with a pair of free throws to make it an 8-point game, 68-60, with 9:44 to play. 
 
Michael Moreno's lay-up and ensuing free throw with 4:32 on the clock pushed EKU in front by 10, 77-67.  The Colonels had trailed by 10 in the first half.
 
Blanton's jumper in the lane kept the margin at 10, 79-69, with 3:49 remaining.  The rest of the Colonels' points came at the free throw line.  Over the final 3:02 of the game, EKU went 10-for-10 at the charity stripe to secure the victory.
 
Walker was 9-of-17 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and made all eight of his free throw attempts for his career-best 29 points.  He also had five assists, four rebounds and two steals.  Blanton went 6-for-6 at the free throw line and finished with 17 points.  Cozart scored 18 points and blocked three shots.  Moreno had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field for the game.  The Colonels made 31-of-56 for 55 percent and went 7-of-14 from behind the arc.  The Ospreys shot 50 percent from the field (29-of-58) and connected on 12-of-29 from deep.  After going 8-for-15 (53 percent) from 3-point range in the first half, UNF was 4-of-14 (29 percent) in the second.
 
UNF came into the game first in the nation with 12.6 made 3-pointers per game.
 
North Florida's Chaz Lanier, who leads the ASUN and is seventh in the nation with 3.43 three-pointers per game, finished 3-for-5 from long range and with 19 points.  Jaylen Smith also had 19 points.
 
EKU committed five fewer turnovers (9-14).  In a game that didn't see very many missed shots, the Maroon & White out-rebounded North Florida 28-27.
 
The Ospreys started hot, hitting on 11-of-16 from the field to begin the game, and led by 10, 28-18, on a 3-pointer from van der Heijden with 11:57 to go in the first half.  The Colonels answered with a 21-7 run to take the lead.  Cozart's reverse lay-up and Walker's three from the left wing capped the run and put the home team on top 39-35 with 3:58 on the clock.
 
Walker banked in a leaning 3-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer to send EKU to the locker room in front by three, 46-43.
 
The Colonels will make a 2-game ASUN road trip next week starting at Queens on Thursday.  Tip-off in Charlotte is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.  The road swing ends at Kennesaw State on Saturday.