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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Sunday, November 16, 2008 10:57 PM CST
Slow start sends EIU men to season-opening loss

By JG/T-C staff
sports@jg-tc.com

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State built a 17-point lead in the first eight minutes and held off Eastern Illinois 72-59 in Saturday’s season-opening men’s basketball game.

Anthony Newell carried the Cardinals early run scoring 10 of his 19 points during that early run. Ball State opened with an 8-0 run over the first 1:48 of the game before Edin Suljic put the Panthers on the board. Following Suljic’s basketball Brandon Lampley canned a 3-pointer to help Ball State open up the 23-6 lead.

Romain Martin tried to lead an Eastern comeback finishing with 17 points. Suljic, a junior college transfer, had 12 points while Eastern’s only senior Billy Parrish came off the bench to hit all sis of his shots for 12 points while also getting five rebounds in 24 minutes.

Tyler Laser scored 10 points for the Panthers.

Ball State extended its lead to as many as 19 points on several occasions in the first half, the last coming on a Laron Frazier basket.

Martin hit a pair of free throws in the final 24 seconds to trim the Cardinals halftime lead to 43-26. EIU shot 43 percent in the first half but could not keep pace with Ball State’s 57 percent clip including a 6-for-11 effort from 3-point range.

EIU fought to get back in the game in the second half as they cut into the lead with an 8-1 lead the cut Ball State’s lead to 45-34. Suljic had a pair of baskets and Laser also dropped in a 3-pointer in the run.

Suljic would convert a 3-point play with 4:47 left as the Panthers climbed to within six points at 58-52. Ball State responded by with Jarrod Jones getting a pair of put-back baskets as BSU pushed the lead back to 13 points. Jones led all scorers with 21 points. He also had 13 rebounds with 6 coming on the offensive glass.

Martin led the Panthers with 17 points hitting a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Billy Parrish came off the bench to score 12 points and pick up a team high five rebounds.

EIU limited Ball State to just 27 percent shooting in the second half.

The Panthers are to play their home opener on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Manchester College.

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