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CHARLESTON, Ill. -- The Eastern Illinois men’s basketball team drilled four three-pointers in less than two minutes down the stretch of Saturday evening’s game at Lantz Arena, but freshman Angelo Warner connected on his only free throw with 2.2 seconds left to give Morehead State a 56-55 win.
The Eagles improve to 13-12 overall and 6-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference with their fourth victory in the past five contests, while the Panthers slip to 9-14 on the campaign and 2-9 in league action.
“Give Eastern Illinois a lot of credit,” Morehead State Head Coach Donnie Tyndall said. “It’s always hard to play them here (at Lantz Arena). They are a tough, physical, well-coached team, and they don’t beat themselves. Tonight came down to the end once again and we’re happy to get the win.”
Morehead State opened up a 52-43 lead on sophomore Drew Kelly’s lay-up at the 2:49 mark, but Eastern Illinois responded with a 12-3 run to tie the game at 55 with 19 seconds to play.
MSU’s first attempt on what figured to be the game’s final possession was no good, but Warner went to the glass and pulled down a crucial offensive rebound before being fouled under the basket.
Warner, a 75-percent foul shooter, missed his first attempt, but re-grouped to knock down his second. The Panthers were out of timeouts and a last-second heave from 60 feet sailed wide of the hoop.
“Angelo (Warner) made a nice rebound with two hands in traffic, drew the foul and was tough enough to make one of two free throws,” Tyndall said. “That was a big play from a freshman.”
Senior Jeremy Granger and freshman Joey Miller both drained a pair of three-pointers in EIU’s spurt. The four threes came after the Panthers hit just five of their first 19 from beyond the arc.
Kelly, senior Ty Proffitt and junior Milton Chavis led MSU’s balanced scoring attack with 11 points apiece. Warner registered a game-high eight rebounds, while Chavis was also credited with three steals and three blocks.
Morehead State connected on a season-high 57 percent (17-of-30) from the field. The Eagles also made 50 percent (5-of-10) from three-point range and 77 percent (17-of-22) from the free-throw line.
Eastern Illinois was limited to 40 percent (21-of-52) from the floor. The Panthers finished at 39 percent (9-of-23) from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
“Driving the basketball was a huge emphasis tonight,” Tyndall said. “I thought we took way too many challenged jump shots on Thursday night at SIU Edwardsville. The past 48 hours, we’ve been talking about driving the ball or throwing it to the post and getting to the foul line more.”
Granger tallied a game-high 17 points for Eastern Illinois, while Miller added 15 and sophomore Alfonzo McKinnie contributed 13. Junior James Hollowell led the Panthers with seven rebounds, while junior Austin Akers recorded a game-best eight assists.
The back-and-forth affair featured eight ties and 14 lead changes. Both were high marks for Morehead State in 25 games this season. EIU’s big lead was just one point early in the game.
The Eagles, who entered the night +175 in bench scoring, posted a 17-9 upper hand in that department. MSU also notched an 8-2 advantage on the fast break.
Morehead State returns to Johnson Arena on Wednesday when it entertains OVC foe Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. ET. The Eagles have won 86 percent (59-10) of their home games over the past five years, including 91 percent (38-4) in conference play.
MSU has just six regular-season tilts remaining before the OVC Tournament, which will be played Feb. 29-March 3 at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville.
“Our goal is certainly to get a bye in the OVC Tournament (#4 seed or better), but we have a lot of work to do between now and then,” Tyndall added. “Wednesday night will be another big game against a good Jacksonville State team -- and I’m sure we’ll get their best shot.”
