Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team had a hard-fought win over Jacksonville University on Friday, securing the No. 3 seed in next week’s ASUN Conference Tournament. With this victory, the Colonels will host No. 6 North Alabama on Tuesday at Baptist Health Arena.
Cooper Robb led the scoring with 12 points, including four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Devontae Blanton scored 13 points, and Michael Moreno had 11 points and six rebounds. Isaiah Cozart grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.
The Colonels held the Dolphins scoreless for over six minutes in the final quarter, taking a 12-point lead, 54-42, on Tayshawn Comer’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:44 left to play. Although Jacksonville came back with a late 10-0 run to get within two, the Colonels were able to secure the win.
In the final minutes, Blanton let the clock tick down before driving to the basket and passing to Comer, who finished a reverse lay-up to give the Colonels a four-point lead with 47.9 seconds on the clock. Jacksonville missed on a 3-point attempt, and another attempt was blocked by Cozart with 23 ticks left. The game ended with Blanton dribbling out the final seconds.
After starting the game with a 10-2 lead, the Colonels saw Jacksonville go on a 14-3 run. However, Robb’s third 3-pointer tied the game at 16-16, and another Robb 3-pointer tied it again at 26-26. A late 11-0 run for the Colonels, including Robb’s fourth 3-pointer of the period, sent EKU to the locker room on top by eight, 34-26.
The Dolphins slowly whittled away at the deficit, drawing within four, 46-42, on a jumper from Dylan O’Hearn with 10:32 to play. However, they didn’t score again until the 4:18 mark as the Colonels built their 12-point lead. Jordan Davis led Jacksonville with 10 points.
The Colonels are now gearing up to host No. 6 North Alabama on Tuesday at Baptist Health Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
