Skyhawks Beat EIU Panthers, 84-77

In a hard-fought contest that was only decided in the final minutes, the UTM Skyhawk men’s basketball team outlasted the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 84-77.

The Skyhawks, who trailed 37-34 at the half and were down as much as eleven at one point, were able to rebound from a slow start coming out of the break and then finished the game on a 15-8 run to notch the team’s second conference victory on the season.

Senior guard Mike Liabo and redshirt junior guard Terence Smith led UTM in scoring, with 20 and 19 points on the evening respectively.  Liabo, who came off the bench to record 22 minutes, took 17 shots from the floor, more than any other Skyhawk player.

For the Panthers, junior forward Chris Olivier led with 20 points of his own.  Senior forward Sherman Blanford, meanwhile, recorded a double-double during the course of the game, putting up 15 points and pulling down 13 total rebounds, nine of which came on defense.  The double-double is the eighth of Blanford’s career.

The Skyhawks started out strong, holding the lead for much of the first half.  Starting with seven minutes left, however, the Panthers were able to slowly but surely ease their way back into the game, ultimately regaining the lead with an Olivier jump shot with two minutes remaining in the half.  The Skyhawks then struggled to keep up with the Panthers’ offense at first coming out of the break, during which time EIU extended their lead to eleven points.

The last ten minutes of the second half were neck-and-neck, as both teams fought tooth-and-nail to avoid losing to their foes.  Indeed, of the game’s eleven lead changes, nine came during the last ten minutes of the second half.  During this time, the game was tied five times.

The Skyhawks’ late advantage largely came from their perimeter defense; the Panthers only took four shots from beyond the arc in the second half, none of which found their mark.  The Skyhawks, meanwhile, were six for eight from three-point range in the second half, which helped UTM close the gap.

The Skyhawks, who now rise to a record of 7-15 on the year, have won two of their last three contests after dropping six straight games.  Their next game will be a visit from SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday at 4 p.m.  Meanwhile, Eastern Illinois drops to 6-13 for the season.  The Panthers, who have now lost three of their last five games, will take on Southeast Missouri on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.