Hoops Heat: Men’s Basketball Secures Thrilling Third Straight Win at Eastern Illinois!

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Ring Malith and Ray’Sean Taylor collaborated for 34 points, guiding SIUE to a 60-58 away victory at Eastern Illinois on Tuesday.

This triumph marks the third consecutive win for the Cougars, who improved to 3-2 in Ohio Valley Conference action and 10-6 overall. Eastern Illinois dropped to 5-10 overall and 1-3 in the league. SIUE has succeeded in five of its last six contests played at Eastern Illinois.

Malith achieved his third double-double this season, registering 15 points while securing 11 rebounds. Ray’Sean Taylor scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, completing a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line.

The Cougars entered halftime with a 28-27 advantage, but Eastern Illinois regained the lead when Zion Fuster made two free throws to make it 37-35 with 15 minutes remaining. The Panthers extended their lead to four on three separate occasions and maintained the advantage until a jumper by Desmond Polk put the Cougars back in front, 55-54, with 3:27 to go. Ray’Sean Taylor expanded the margin to three points with a pair of free throws at 3:06.

Eastern Illinois closed the gap to one point (58-57) with a basket and a free throw from Kooper Jacobi with 1:25 remaining. Ray’Sean Taylor converted his final two free throws with 19 seconds left before EIU called a timeout.

Corey Sawyer of the Panthers missed a three-point attempt, and Lazar Grbovic managed to grab the rebound but failed to score before the clock ran out.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 41 percent (20-49) and struggled with long-range shooting, making only 3 of 12 attempts. SIUE was 17-29 from the free throw line, with Malith and Ray’Sean Taylor going a combined 15-15. The Cougars dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Panthers 41-30.

Fruster led EIU with 17 points, hitting 6-6 from the free throw line. Nakyel Shelton contributed 14 points, while Kooper Jacobi added 12 points and collected nine rebounds. The Panthers had a shooting percentage of 37 percent, going 20-54 from the field and 12-15 from the foul line.

The Cougars will return to their home court to compete against Tennessee Tech on Saturday at First Community Arena, with the tipoff set for 4 p.m.