Eastern Illinois claims Ax, sweeps Western Illinois, 63-49 (Dec 10, 2016)
MACOMB, Ill. (AP) Montell Goodwin scored 17 points and led four starters in double-figure scoring as Eastern Illinois cruised to a 63-49 win at Western Illinois Saturday afternoon.
With the score tied at 18 with 8:12 remaining in the first half, Eastern Illinois rolled off nine unanswered points to take a nine-point lead into intermission.
Muusa Dama grabbed an offensive rebound and his put-back jumper gave the Panthers a 10-point lead and Goodwin extended it to a dozen with his jumper with 14:38 left.
The win gives Eastern Illinois a sweep in the home-and-home series and the Panthers claimed the travelling trophy, the ''Old Railsplitter's Ax.'' The Panthers have lost five straight to Western Illinois.
Dama finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots for Eastern Illinois (6-4).
Mike Miklusak finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead Western Illinois (2-7), which swept the series a year ago.
