RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team gave the McBrayer Arena scoreboard a workout in a 136-92 exhibition game victory over Kentucky Christian University on Thursday.
EKU opens the regular season on Wednesday against Marshall University. The Thundering Herd are ranked as high as 25th in the nation in preseason polls. Tip-off at McBrayer Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Eight Colonels scored in double figures. Junior Lachlan Anderson led the team with 26 points and 16 rebounds. He made all five attempts from behind the three-point arc and finished 8-of-11 from the field. Dujuanta Weaver had 17 points. Jordan Oakley contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Kelvin Robinson finished with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Jomaru Brown scored 16 points. Peyton Broughton totaled 14 points, six boards and two assists. Houston King and Nick Mayo had 10 points each.
Eastern out-rebounded the visitors 56-34. The Colonels had 16 steals as KCU turned the ball over 26 times. EKU shot 67 percent from the field in the second half and 56 percent for the game (48-of-86). The home team knocked down 46 percent of its shots from long range (15-of-33).
The Colonels fell behind 7-3 early in the game but rolled off a 13-0 spurt and never trailed again. Weaver got the run started with a three-pointer. Oakley grabbed a rebound, went the length of the floor and knocked down a floater in the lane. Broughton made a lay-up and drew the foul. He missed the free throw, but Anderson grabbed the offensive board and put it back in for a 12-7 advantage. The duo of Broughton and Anderson polished off the run with a dunk and another put back, respectively, to stretch the lead to 16-7.
Seven unanswered, fueled by a trey from the right corner from Anderson, allowed Eastern to stretch the margin to double figures, 30-17, midway through the first half. EKU took its largest first half lead of 21 points, 57-36, on Brown’s three-pointer with 3:18 before intermission.
Eastern Kentucky hit 13 of its first 19 shots from the field in the second half and went in front by 28, 95-67, with 12:27 left to play. Broughton’s lay-up with 10:56 to go pushed the Colonels into triple digits, 100-73.
Mason Blair hit four three-pointers and led the Knights with 26 points.
