SE'S ROAD CREW WINS AGAIN; INDIANS THWART E. ILLINOIS 81-70

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Strange as it might sound, Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner actually felt pretty good at halftime Saturday night -- even though his team trailed by six points.

The reason for Garner's optimism? The fact that Eastern Illinois had absolutely burned the nets from long range in the first half -- yet the Panthers had failed to knock out the Indians.

And Garner's faith was rewarded as the Indians battled back from a six-point halftime deficit to claim an 81-70 Ohio Valley Conference victory in front of 4,364 fans at Lantz Gym.

Southeast thus improved to 9-1 overall in league play as the Indians solidified their hold on second place and remained one game behind Murray State.

The Indians, who are 12-6 overall -- and have won all five of their conference road games -- lead their nearest pursuers in the OVC by a full four games.

EIU fell to 5-5 in league play and 10-10 overall. The Panthers are tied for third in the OVC.

"Boy, did our guys fight. I'm just so proud of them," said an emotional Garner. "Eastern Illinois came out really ready to play and they just shot the ball so well in the first half."

The Panthers went 7-for-12 from 3-point range over the opening 20 minutes. That performance accounted for 21 of their first-half points as they led 39-33 at the break.

"I really thought we were in good shape at halftime," Garner said. "They hit seven of 12 (3-pointers) and a few of them were rushed.

"I told the guys that if we kept our intensity up defensively, we'd be okay. We played okay in the first half and we played hard, but they (EIU) played their best basketball in the first half. I didn't think they could continue to play that well."

EIU went just 2-for-7 on 3-pointers in the second half. The Panthers, after hitting half of their overall shots in the opening 20 minutes, shot just 33 percent in the second half to wind up at 41 percent for the game (23 of 56).

Meanwhile, the Indians heated up in the second half, shooting 60 percent (15 of 25) after a 38-percent first half. Southeast wound up at 48 percent (26 of 54).

Five players scored in double figures for the Indians, led by Bud Eley with 19 points. Eley, who hit eight of 11 shots from the field, also pulled down 14 rebounds, blocked four shots and dished out three assists.

Eley helped the Indians to a 43-23 rebounding advantage.

"Was Bud ever big on the boards?" marveled Garner.

Kahn Cotton scored 16 points and dished seven assists. Cory Johnson had 14 points, Roderick Johnson 11 and Mike Branson 10.

Cotton hit 10 of 10 free throws in the final 1:03 to seal the triumph after the Panthers had to resort to fouling at every opportunity in the late going.

"We knew at halftime we were in good shape," said Cotton. "We knew they had played their best."

C. Johnson hit eight of nine free throws as the Indians' starting backcourt went a combined 18-for-19 from the charity stripe. That's not surprising, considering Johnson and Cotton are the OVC's top two free-throw shooters, at 95 and 84 percent, respectively, prior to Saturday.

"It's so important to have guys who can knock down those free throws at the end of the game," said Garner.

The Indians also got a huge lift from reserve forward Brian Bunche, who scored seven of his career-high nine points in the final 9:07 of play -- including one of his team's biggest baskets down the stretch.

EIU had just cut a 68-59 Southeast lead to 68-64 with under two minutes left. The Panthers, needing a big defensive stand, had the Indians on their heels as the shot clock was winding down.

But Bunche nailed a free-throw line jumper with 1:30 remaining that boosted the Indians' lead to 70-64.

"Brian played so strong for us, on the boards and also hitting some big shots," said Garner. "The shot that gave us a six-point lead might have been one of the biggest of the game."

Bunche, who entered the contest averaging less than three points per game, doesn't really care how much offense he provides -- as long as he helps the Indians win.

"I like doing whatever I can to give the team a boost," he said, then added with a grin, "but that (the 15-footer) is my shot. I practice it all the time."

After Bunche's basket made it 70-64, Cotton came up with a steal and started his free-throw binge with two foul shots that boosted Southeast into a 72-64 advantage with 1:03 left.

The Panthers were able to get within 72-66, but Cotton hit two more free throws with 51 seconds left and the Indians were basically home free after that.

Trailing 39-33 at halftime, the Indians came out strong in the second half and quickly took a 42-41 lead. EIU was able to go back ahead three more times before Bunche put Southeast ahead to stay with a layup that made it 57-56 with 7:28 left.

Southeast was clinging to a 60-59 lead when Eley scored inside. C. Johnson added three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer and Eley took a great pass from C. Johnson to score inside to extend the lead to 67-59.

EIU coach Rick Samuels was then hit with a technical and C. Johnson made one of two free throws for a 68-59 lead with 3:08 remaining.

A quick 5-0 EIU run cut Southeast's lead to 68-64 -- but Bunche then delivered his big 15-footer and the Indians were on their way.

EIU got 15 points from both Jack Owens and Kyle Hill. Marc Polite and John Smith both added 14.

Asked to explain his team's ability to win -- and show so much confidence on the road -- Garner was at a loss for words.

"I don't know why, but there's something about this group," he said. "They just come together and play with so much confidence on the road."

Said Bunche, "We're just a tough team. We just don't want to lose."

Garner couldn't have said it better.