Denied! Denied!! Denied!!!

Red-shirt freshman forward James Hollowell was ready for showtime.

With Eastern leading 56-53 late, the 6-foot-6 blocking machine had three blocked shots on consecutive Eastern Kentucky possessions in Tuesday’s quarterfinal showdown with No. 5 Eastern Kentucky.

The blocks rocked Lantz Arena as 1,174 fans were screaming their approval to such athleticism.

It was like Superman soared through the stadium.

Hollowell also hit a killer jumper for a 66-61 advantage with 34 seconds left, which led Eastern to a 68-61 triumph for its first playoff win in nine years.

Senior guard T.J. Marion applauded Hollowell’s stops and his move on Colonels’ senior forward Josh Taylor for the important shot.

“That’s just how James is,” Marion said. “He likes to block shots a lot so he came from the backside and I trust him anytime in the game for any shot. I believe he will make it and he has that much confidence.”

Eastern head coach Mike Miller said Hollowell came ready to play, but so did his teammates.

“He came up big: the blocks, the rebounds and then the shot at the end,” Miller said. “Other guys did, too. We had a lot of people step up and play well tonight, and that is the whole key to our team is when we’re balanced; we’re a pretty good team.”

Marion scored 15 points while sophomore and junior guards Jeremy Granger and Tyler Laser added 14 each.

Marion was instrumental in breaking the 1-3-1 Colonels’ zone defense by cutting from the wing to the baseline for back door lay-ups.

Granger had efficient passing for five assists and had a killer eye for 6-of-7 shooting. He also stole the ball from Eastern Kentucky junior forward Justin Stommes with 9.5 seconds remaining and hit two free throws.

With Hollowell winning OVC All-Newcomer Team honors and Laser gaining an All-OVC First Team nod, the Panthers will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to challenge goliath No. 1 Murray State (28-4, 17-1 OVC), who is the heavy favorite to win the tournament.

However, Miller said the tournament comes down to the best team who executes its game plan and does not stray from their identity.

Also, the Panthers are eager to put the program back on the OVC map as a legit contender.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Hollowell said. “There is going to be a lot of energy. Everybody is excited to play and it’s going to be fun.”

One win is down. Two more are needed for greatness.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944 or rtbajek@eiu.edu.