Wallace helps Eastern Illinois edge Jacksonville St 70-69

Josiah Wallace scored 20 points and Eastern Illinois held off Jacksonville State 70-69 on Thursday night.

Wallace sank 7 of 13 shots from the floor for the Panthers (8-9, 1-4 Ohio Valley Conference) and added five rebounds and four assists. Mack Smith had 14 points and six boards, while George Dixon scored 11.

Shareef Smith hit a 3-pointer with 3:32 left in the game to put Eastern Illinois up 69-61. The Gamecocks (7-11, 2-3) went on an 8-1 run from there to make things interesting.

Jacara Cross topped Jacksonville State with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-10 shooting. Kayne Henry notched 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for his first career double-double. Elias Harden added 11 points but made just 3 of 10 shots.

The Panthers shot 50% from the floor and 37.5% from 3-point range (6 of 16). The Gamecocks shot just 43% overall and made only 3 of 14 from distance (21%).

(Representational Image)