Illinois State holds on late, beats Eastern Illinois, 54-49

CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) Luke Kasubke and Malachi Poindexter each hit two clutch free throws in the final 15 seconds to earn Illinois State a 54-49 win over Eastern Illinois on Thursday.

Kasubke finished with 16 points and shot 4 for 7 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free throw line for the Redbirds (1-1). Poindexter was 3 of 8 shooting, including 1 for 4 from distance, and went 4 for 4 from the line to add 11 points. Joe Petrakis recorded 10 points and was 4 of 10 shooting (2 for 7 from distance).

The Panthers (0-2) were led in scoring by Kinyon Hodges, who finished with 14 points. Eastern Illinois also got eight points, eight rebounds and two steals from Yaakema Rose Jr.. In addition, Nick Ellington finished with eight points.

NEXT UP

Illinois State plays Saturday against Northwestern State on the road, and Eastern Illinois visits Central Michigan on Sunday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Updated November 11, 2022