Illini Drop Loss to Penn State, 83-70

Malcolm Hill scored 14 points and Te'Jon Lucas had 11 points and seven assists as the Illini fell to Penn State, 83-70, Saturday at State Farm Center.

Penn State used a 14-2 run to end the first half to lead 41-29 at the break, and then led by as many as 19 in the second half before Illinois closed to within five, 62-57, after a 14-0 run. However, the Nittany Lions pulled away down the stretch thanks to 90 percent free throw shooting.

Payton Banks tied his career-high with 24 points, Lamar Stevens added 21 for Penn State.

Banks made three of Penn State's seven 3-pointers and the Nittany Lions shot 56.9 percent overall. It was his fourth 20-plus game of the season and the sixth of his career.

Penn State (14-12, 6-7 Big Ten) didn't allow Illinois to get into an offensive groove. Illinois finished with 14 turnovers, including two in the first four possessions of the game.

Jalen Coleman-Lands (12 points) also was in double-figures for the Illini.

UP NEXT

The Illini have a bye week before returning to action Saturday at Iowa (1 p.m. on BTN).

EIU 86, Southeast Missouri 80 (OT)

Three Eastern Illinois players posted double-doubles Saturday afternoon as the Panthers needed overtime to beat Southeast Missouri, 86-80, at Lantz Arena.    It was the second time this week EIU has knocked off the OVC West Division leader after beating UT Martin on Thursday.
 
EIU honored the members of its senior class prior to the game as the Panthers improved to 13-13 overall, 5-8 in the OVC.  SEMO fell to 12-16 overall, 7-6 in the OVC.
 
The game was the fifth overtime game for EIU this season with the Panthers now 2-3 in extra sessions with a pair of double overtime games.  Tied at 71-71 each after regulation EIU jumped out to a four point lead on baskets by Muusa Dama and Montell Goodwin.  SEMO tied the game at 75-75 on a Denzel Mahoney jumper with 2:40 to play.
 
EIU then put the game away with an 8-0 run with Dama scoring seven of the eight points as he finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.  Dama scored nine of his points in the overtime period.  The junior added five blocked shots as he became the EIU single season record holder in blocked shots breaking the previous mark of 55 set by Eric Frankford in 1994-95.  Dama now has 58 blocks this season to lead the OVC.  SEMO cut the lead to six points two times in the final 41 seconds but EIU answered each time at the foul line.
 
Senior Demetrius McReynolds and Ray Crossland joined Dama with double-doubles for EIU.  McReynolds just missed a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.  Crossland had 15 points, 11 rebounds.
 
Goodwin had the hot hand in the first half for the Panthers as he helped the Panthers go on a 16-1 over a four and half minute stretch in the middle of the first half.  Mahoney put SEMO up 15-11 with 14:40 to play in the first.  Goodwin drained back-to-back 3-pointers and would score 11 of his game high 24 points during the run.  EIU would extend its lead to as high as 12 points in the first half on a Dama jumper with 7:57 to play in the first that put EIU up 32-20.
 
A pair of 3-pointers by Tahj Eaddy and five points by Mahoney allowed SEMO to chip away at the Panthers first half lead and trail 42-41 at the half.  Mahoney scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half for the Redhawks.
 
In the second half Eaddy hit his third 3-pointer of the game to give SEMO a 51-50 lead with 13:51.  The two teams would trade the lead with EIU going in front by six points with 2:57 left in regulation on a McReynolds jumper that made it 68-62.
 
A Goodwin 3-pointer looked to seal the game for EIU with 56 seconds left as EIU led 71-66.  Trey Kellum closed it to a one possession game with a dunk 12 seconds later and Jamaal Calvin tied the game at 71-71 with 25 seconds left in the game.  Kellum had a double-double for the Redhawks finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds.   
 
Terrell Lewis was the fifth EIU player in double figures with ten points.  Antonius Cleveland finished with 14 points to give SEMO three double figure scorers.
 
EIU won the battle on the glass finishing with a 53-45 rebound advantage. The Panthers converted 16 offensive rebounds into 22 second chance points.

Southeast Missouri 71, SIUE 67

SIUE couldn't quite finish what it started in an Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball game Thursday night at the Vadalabene Center.

After a quick start by the Cougars, visiting Southeast Missouri closed faster for a 71-67 victory in front of 1,161 fans. SIUE, sustaining its 12th consecutive setback, dropped to 5-21 overall and 0-12 in the OVC. SEMO improved to 12-15 and 7-5. The Redhawks are tied with UT Martin for the lead in the six-team West Division.

"This game was similar to our game with SEMO at their place," SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said, referring to a narrow 79-76 loss on Jan. 19 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. "It seems like every game with them comes down to a handful of possessions. They (SEMO) did a better job of rebounding in the second half tonight."

Early on, the Cougars possessed the advantage. They led 18-4 as Burak Eslik and Jalen Henry scored nine points apiece in the first 5:30. Henry finished with a game-best 22 points and nine rebounds. Eslik pitched in 18 points. Teammates Keenan Simmons (10 points and seven rebounds) and Christian Ellis (seven points, seven rebounds and six assists) also contributed to the cause.

"We did a good job starting the game and I thought our energy was fairly consistent throughout the game," Harris said. "Jalen did a great job. It was just unfortunate that he got into foul trouble. And Burak made a lot of three-pointers, then their defense started to pick up."

Southwest Missouri 107, EIU Women 65

The Eastern Illinois women's basketball team fell to a hot-shooting Southeast Missouri 107-65 Saturday night. With the loss the Panthers drop to 8-17 and 4-9 in the OVC while SEMO improves to 12-14 and 6-7 in the conference.

SEMO finished the game 17-32 from three-point range, nine of which were scored by Hannah Noe who finished the game leading all scorers with 29 points.

Three Panthers finished the game in double-figures led by Grace Lennox who scored 15 points to mark her 14th game in row in double-digits. Lennox also recorded six assists and four steals against the Redhawks.

EIU kept it close early in the first quarter following a jumper from Lennox at the 5:30 mark to make it 12-10 in favor of SEMO, but the Redhawks pulled away going on a 10-0 run eventually halted by another jumper from Lennox. SEMO closed out the first quarter leading EIU 25-14 and going 5-for-9 from the three-point line.

SEMO picked up right where they left off to open the second quarter as a three-pointer from Noe sparked an 8-0 run for the Redhawks to open the period. The Redhawks built their lead to as high as 22 points in the second quarter before closing out the first half leading EIU 55-37.

The Panthers shot 64 percent in the second quarter to keep SEMO within 20 points.