DAYTONA BEACH, Fl. — EKU head basketball coach A.W. Hamilton touts his "most exciting 40 minutes in sports." Monday he jokingly said you should call it the "most exciting 45 minutes in sports" after the Colonels won a second straight game in the CBI in overtime by beating top seeded Indiana St. 89-88.
Devontae Blanton led the way with a career-high 32 points while adding 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He hit what proved to be the game-tying jumper in regulation and the Colonels made a defensive stop to send it to overtime. In the extra frame, Isaiah Cozart hit two free throws with :20 remaining to give EKU the one point advantage. The Senior from Richmond had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. The Sycamores got a couple of good looks at the win but EKU's defense clamped down to secure the victory.
The Colonels shot 49 percent from the field and went 12-of-14 at the free throw line. Indiana State made 53 percent of its shots from the field, but turned the ball over 18 times. EKU turned those turnovers into 16 points and turned eight offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points.
Eastern Kentucky advances to the semifinals of the CBI and will face Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds held off Rice 81-79 in the game immediately following EKU. That semifinal game is on Tuesday at 7:00 PM and can be seen on ESPN2.
