CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS---The Ohio Valley Conference West Division leading Eastern Illinois Panthers capped off a four-game home stretch on Saturday when they hosted an SIU Edwardsville Cougars group that occupied the cellular in the mentioned division.

Sometimes the matchups that appear to be the easiest to win are actually the hardest.

Although the Panthers showed greatness in a four-minute stretch to begin the bout, SIU Edwardsville shocked the whole Ohio Valley Conference by grinding out a victory over an opponent with the potential to be the second seed in the conference tournament.

Boring at the start and both teams colder then the temperature in a snowstorm, 70+ seconds passed without either posting any points. Though, the previous actually makes the fact that the Panthers had 12 points by the first media timeout that much more impressive. "Star senior" Trae Anderson was instrumental in Eastern Illinois' initial burst, for he was single handedly outscoring the opposition 7-3. That's right! The Cougars started on the opposite end of the spectrum by only making one shot attempt in addition to having just as many turnovers as points!

Though, the Cougars did not stay caged as the combination of leading scorer Burak Eslik and 5'7" "stud sophomore" C.J. Carr acted as a lightning bolt that propelled the team on a 13-0 run (16-13 SIUE). 

The once sprightly Lantz Arena was a church. How could a score flip so quickly? With 13 straight SIU Edwardsville points! That's how!

From the 10:47 mark to 3:44 remaining in the first, the Panthers and Cougars swapped leads four times while the net was frequently tickled. But then, Eastern Illinois found their access to be denied as their opponent rolled off six straight, four of which was from Grant Fiorientinos's fourteen, to take a seven-point advantage into the intermission (32-25 SIUE).

Just before the start of the second half, Trae Anderson was standing near press row. He had a look in his eye, one as though he was determined to put his fingerprint on this game. 

And he did.

Anderson, who was a puzzle never solved by the Cougars, made his first three attempts of the second twenty minutes, which pulled EIU within three (34-31 SIUE). However, their deficit ballooned back to six before jumping to a game-high ten thanks to back-to-back treys from SIU Edwardsville's Eslik (45-35 SIUE). 

Despite the Panthers not allowing their opponent to sprint away any further and actually dwindling the gap somewhat, SIUE was always one step ahead. In fact, it took over nine minutes for Eastern Illinois to cut the margin in half (59-54 SIUE). Yet, even when they did, the Cougars continued to match the points produced by EIU. Moreover, they were 11-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes, ultimately preventing the Panthers to pounce closer with just one basket. 

The result of the bout was sealed, and possibly, so is Eastern Illinois' game day for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

Terrific Trae

Leading the time with 353 total points coming in, Trae Anderson has been a force to be reckoned with in his final collegiate season. This includes even when a team has had a first look at him and knows his talent.

In the first meeting with SIU Edwardsville on January 30, the 6'5" forward was fantastic as he scored 19 points and grabbed three rebounds. Saturday, he took it up a notch. 

After netting a very good nine in the first half, Anderson scored a point per minute in the second twenty while ending the evening with a true stat-sheet stuffer performance of 29 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Additionally, he was nearly automatic when it came to free throws considering he made 9-of-11. 

11-15 (7-6) Eastern Illinois will try to keep any chance of winning the West Division alive when hitting the road for a Thursday night showdown with UT-Martin.

Imported From Turkey

A legitimate candidate for OVC Newcomer of the Year, SIU Edwardsville's Burak Eslik is no stranger to putting "the biscuit in the basket." No, really! He dropped a career-high 40 on Morehead State less than a month ago! Although he did not come close to his max on Saturday, the 6'4" guard still had a phenomenal outing.

Finding the range from outside early, Eslik nailed three triples (out of seven) while finishing with a 50% shooting performance. Furthermore, he finished with a game-high 29 points in large part to making clutch free throws down the stretch (He made 12-of-12). Obviously the Cougars do not have the most glamorous record in comparison to other conference rivals, but Eslik is very deserving for the aforementioned award, considering he is leading his team in points per game (over 14) and SIUE goes when he goes.

5-20 (2-11) SIU Edwardsville will attempt to match their largest winning streak of the year at Southeast Missouri State Thursday.

The Debacle on the Boards

Normally Eastern Illinois head coach Jay Spoonhour starts a center and four guards. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Eastern Illinois Panthers are out-rebounded quite often. Really, they have lost the rebounding battle 18 times this season. Saturday was 19.

With Anderson as the only individual grabbing more than three (he had eight), the Cougars smothered the glass with authority. In fact, every SIU Edwardsville player that checked into the game had at least one! It was that kind of a domination! The final totals on the night were Cougars 46, Panthers 25, which is just another Eastern Illinois underwhelming rebounding performance.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Implications

Heading into Saturday's action, the Ohio Valley Conference West Division was tied at the top between Murray State and Eastern Illinois. Both squads had what should have been easy matchups in front of them; however, the Panthers failed to show up, resulting in a loss. The Racers won versus Southeast Missouri State. So, let's do the math. The way the OVC Men's Basketball Tournament is set up, the division winners have byes into the  semi-finals, while the rest of the field is seeded as normal (best record). Thus, with their defeat--not to mention third place UT-Martin hopping in front of them with a win--Eastern Illinois has fell from being a second seed to seventh. Ultimately, this means, EIU will have to win four games to gain the automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, which is nearly impossible since they would have to defeat two fresh, energized teams just to get to the OVC Championship. 

The good thing is, hope is not completely lost. Since the Panthers finish with UT-Martin and Murray State, there is a chance EIU could climb back up the ladder. But, let's realize this, they must play much, much better against the Skyhawks to have any sliver of a chance to leave victorious on the road Thursday.

He Said It (Part I)

"It definitely hurts. Any loss hurts. I don't want to take anything away from them, they played well" said Eastern Illinois' center Luke Piotrowski (9 points and 3 rebounds) upon being asked if this one was more painful in regards to the circumstances revolving around the OVC West Division. "We just weren't on the boards like we should be--like we normally are really. But, yeah it is tough. Especially because we are going for first place. Any loss is tough, but this one definitely hurt a little bit more."

He Said It (Part II)

"When we played them at their place, we did a great job on him--I think he only went to the line like twice. He got 12 attempts, 12-for-12. The game plan is--Coach is always on us in practice to keep our hands up because we don't want to foul, give him easy buckets. But, he just had a great game."
---Luke Piotrowski on SIU Edwardsville's Burak Eslik's 29 point performance.

He Said It (Part III)

"We knew it was an important game. Guys are trying. But, there is a certain thing that happens to any team when they have success. We had about a month of success. You gradually lose your edge as that happens--that happens to every team. When you are like us, we were winning because of intangible things--like being engaged and really making tough plays and being smart. When you are like that, and then you flip it--we haven't been scoring the last two games, we haven't been smart at all, we have made some really silly offensive plays, and we have fouled too much--when you combine that with not being active and going after rebounds--standing and watching, hoping somebody else will get it--there is nobody else that is going to get it."
---Eastern Illinois head coach Jay Spoonhour.

He Said It (Part IV)

"I think rebounding is a mentality. You are either pursuing the ball or you are not. There were a total of 71 rebounds tonight. I don't know how many were even rim height. I'm going to say maybe one or two. The rest of them are being picked up shoulder height or right above your head. And that comes down to pursuing the ball and actively thinking about it."
---Jay Spoonhour on his team's rebounding performance.