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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team shot 63.3 percent from the floor in its season opener on the way to a 102-71 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan Saturday night in McBrayer Arena. Junior
Justin Stommes led all scorers with a career-high 28 points.
Stommes spearheaded a balanced Colonel (1-0) attack which saw four other players reach double figures. Senior
Josh Taylor netted four three-pointers to finish with 19 points. Junior
Josh Daniel came off the bench and posted 14 points on 85.7 percent (6-of-7) shooting. Senior
Papa Oppong chipped in with 13 points while sophomore
Joshua Jones added 10 points and a personal-high seven assists.
West Virginia Wesleyan was led by Bryce Barnes (21 points) and Ryan Hoehner (15 points). Barnes hit 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) three-point attempts while Hoehner grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
The first half saw both teams shoot over 50 percent from the field. The visiting Bobcats took a 29-28 lead with 7:34 showing on the clock thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Barnes. Eastern Kentucky responded a few minutes later with an 18-4 spurt to close the half. The Colonels shot 72 percent (18-of-25) from the floor in the first 20 minutes and took a 53-39 lead into the locker rooms.
Eastern opened the second half scoring 11 of the first 13 points, capped by an Oppong trifecta, to stretch the lead to 23 points, 64-41. The Colonels were never seriously challenged the rest of the way.
Eastern Kentucky made 17 three-pointers in the contest, the most in five years under head coach Jeff Neubauer, and converted 65.4 percent (17-of-26) of its shots from behind the arc.
This game counted as an exhibition contest for West Virginia Wesleyan, a Division II school in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Colonels next visit Big East foe Pittsburgh on Nov. 19 as part of the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.