CONWAY, Ark. – Eastern Kentucky University will begin Atlantic Sun Conference play with a pair of road games, starting Thursday at Central Arkansas and concluding Saturday at North Alabama.
Thursday's game will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET while Saturday's contest is set for 5:30 p.m. ET. Both games will air live on ESPN+. The live radio broadcasts of the games are available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, or worldwide on EKUSports.com.
THE COLONELS
- The Colonels are coming off a near upset of Louisville, falling 78-76 on Saturday.
George Kimble III gave EKU a 1-point lead with 1:22 remaining in the game and the visitors kept the lead until the Cardinals scored the game-winner with 1.2 seconds on the clock.
- In his last two games,
Devontae Blanton is averaging 29 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field. He ranks fourth in the ASUN this season in scoring (16.9 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (47.2 percent), 10th in rebounding (6 rpg) and 12th in assists (3.5 apg).
- EKU is fifth in the country in offensive rebounds, averaging 15.46 per game.
- The Colonels are 24th in the nation in turnover margin (+4.3/game). EKU is 25th in the NCAA with 9.6 steals per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- Central Arkansas is 4-9 overall and has won two of its last three games. The Bears beat The Citadel, 73-71, on Dec. 16 and picked up an 87-69 victory over Southwestern Christian on Sunday.
- Layne Taylor, a 5-foot-11 freshman guard, leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game and is second on the team with 3.5 assists per contest. Brayden Fagbemi, a 6-foot sophomore guard who played at Johns Hopkins last season, averages 10.6 points, a team-high 4.7 assists per contest and is second on the squad in rebounding at 5.1 per game.
- North Alabama is 8-5 going into its game against Bellarmine at home on Thursday. The Lions saw a 3-game winning streak – Tennessee Tech (74-67), at East Carolina (74-67) and Charleston Southern (86-69) – come to an end with a loss at Loyola Marymount (85-69) on Dec. 22.
- Jacari Lane, a 6-foot junior guard now in his third season at UNA, leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) and assists (3.85 apg). The 2023 ASUN Freshman of the Year also has 22 steals. Corneilous Williams, a 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore forward who spent last season at Western Carolina, is the team's top rebounder at 8.0 per game. He also contributes 9.8 points per contest.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Colonels lead the all-time series 4-2, having won four straight. EKU is 2-1 in games played in Conway. In the most recent meeting, the Colonels clinched the 2023-24 ASUN regular season championship with a 95-82 win in Richmond on Feb. 24, 2024.
Isaiah Cozart finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Blanton contributed 16 points and five rebounds. Carl Daughtery scored 20 points off the bench to lead Central Arkansas.
- EKU is 4-2 against North Alabama and has won three straight in the series. The Colonels are 1-1 in games played in Florence. In the most recent meeting, EKU held on for a 75-72 victory on Feb. 22, 2024 at Baptist Health Arena.
Leland Walker's jumper with 7:38 left in the game broke a 61-61 tie and the Colonels led the rest of the game. Walker finished with 24 points while Lane led UNA with 26 points.
