The Eastern men’s basketball team will be on the road this Tuesday at 7 p.m. to take on SEC opponent Missouri for the fifth time in school history.  

The Tigers hold a 3-1 all-time series lead, but the Panthers did have a 67-64 victory in Columbia when the two teams last met in December of 2016.  

The Panthers are coming off a close 76-71 home victory over North Park. With the win, the Panthers are now 2-7 overall and ninth in the OVC. 

Junior guard Kejuan Clements led the Panthers over the Vikings with 25 points and 11 rebounds. It was Clements’ third double figure scoring game this season. He is currently fourth in the OVC in assists with 44, averaging 4.9 per game, and is leading the Panthers in rebounds with 50. 

Fifth year guard Kashawn Charles was 5-of-10 for the second straight game hitting five 3-pointers, finishing with 17 points and four rebounds. 

Junior forward Jermaine Hamlin finished the contest with 10 points and 6 rebounds, followed closely by freshman forward Rodolfo Rufino Bolis who also scored 10 points and had 5 rebounds.  

The four players in double digits helped the Panthers achieve 49 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the 3-point range. Overall, the Panthers are averaging 59.7 points per game and are allowing their opponents to score 70.4 

The Tigers will be entering the contest on Tuesday 4-4 with a 3-2 record at home, putting the Tigers at 13th place in the SEC. Their lost loss, 66-45, came at the hands of Liberty. Despite the loss, the Tigers outrebounded the Flames 36-29. 

The Tigers are averaging 65.9 points per game and their opponents are also averaging 65.9 points per game.  

The Tigers had two players in double digits against the Eagles. Junior forward Kobe Brown finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brown is the Tigers’ top scorer this season, averaging 15.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds, earning him third place in the SEC for rebounds. 

Junior guard Amari Davis finished with 13 points and one rebound. Davis is averaging 11.4 points per game. Sophomore forward Ronnie DeGray III had six points and seven rebounds. 

On the season, the Tigers are shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 26.2 percent from the 3. As for rebounding, the Tigers have 310 rebounds on the season and are averaging 38.8 per game with a 5.7 margin over their opponents. 

Autumn Schulz can be reached at 581-2812 or acschulz@eiu.edu.