The Eastern men’s basketball team picked up their eighth loss of the season on the road Tuesday night as Missouri beat the Panthers 72-44 at Norm Stewart Court.  

The Panthers are now 2-8 on the season with a record of 0-6 on the road. Despite the loss, the Panthers held their own in the first half against their SEC opponent. 

The Panthers managed to score 21 points and at one point, led the contest 17-15. They managed to pull down 13 rebounds and scored 12 points in the paint. They were also tied with the Tigers four times throughout the half.  

The momentum in the beginning of the first half began to quickly diminish as the Panthers began to turn the ball over. The Panthers turned the ball over seven times within a short period of time, allowing the Tigers to take full advantage. Overall, the Panthers turned the ball over 19 times, which allowed the Tigers to score 26 points.  

Another issue that plagued the Panthers throughout the contest was the inability to rebound on both sides of the ball. They finished the game with 21 rebounds, 14 defensive rebounds and seven offensive rebounds.  

The Panthers were led offensively by Jermaine Hamlin who had 10 points. Both sophomore guard Dan Luers and junior guard Kejuan Clements had six points apiece while Clements had three rebounds to finish off the night.  

Overall, the Panthers were 36 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from the 3. As the momentum began to disappear, the Tigers began to show the Panthers the power from a SEC team. The speed that the Tigers displayed was too much for the Panthers as the Tigers had 18 points in fast break.  

The Tigers had four players in double digits: junior guard Amari Davis (15), junior guard Dajuan Gordon (14), junior forward Kobe Brown (11), and senior guard Javon Pickett (10). The Tigers were 51 percent from the field and 11 percent from the 3.  

The Tigers outrebounded the Panthers 42-21 with 28 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds which allowed the Panthers only six second chance points in the game. Brown led the Tigers in rebounds with 11. The Tigers also dominated the Panthers in the paint, outscoring them 50-24.  

The Panthers will be back in action on Saturday at 3 p.m. to take on Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  

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