COLONELS DISPATCH CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN ON OPENING NIGHT

By Kevin Britton Assistant Director of Athletic Public Relations, Eastern Kentucky University

"RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team scored 16 unanswered points in the first six minutes of the game and cruised to an 89-56 win over Cincinnati Christian University in the Colonels’ season opener and the first game of the Comfort Suites Invitational.

Back-to-back three-pointers by newcomer Corey Walden and junior forward Jeff Johnson capped Eastern’s fast start.  A 10-1 run later in the first half gave the Colonels their first 20-plus point lead.  Eric Stutz scored the final four on a tip-in and a lay-up for a 30-9 advantage.

A three-pointer by sophomore Timmy Knipp, EKU's seventh of the first half, with 38 seconds on the clock gave the Colonels their largest first half lead at 27 points, 49-22.  Eastern shot 65 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of action and hit on 7-of-15 from long range.

Eastern Kentucky led by 20 or more points from the 2:46 mark of the first half.

Three straight three-pointers – one by Tarius Johnson and two by Glenn Cosey – capped an 11-1 run that pushed EKU out in front by 36 points, 66-30, with 14:21 left to play.  That would be the Colonels’ largest lead, matched a minute later.  Cincinnati Christian never got closer than 30 the rest of the way.

All 13 Colonels that were eligible to play tonight saw action.  Eleven of them scored at least two points.

In his EKU debut, Cosey scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.  The junior knocked down 6-of-7 from three-point range.  Stutz finished with 11 points and six rebounds.  Senior Mike DiNunno scored 10 and handed out four assists.  Tarius Johnson contributed 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

DJ McCommons led CCU (0-3) with 15 points.

The Colonels shot 53 percent from the field for the game and 47 percent from three-point land.  EKU went 14-for-30 from deep.  The home squad enjoyed a 33-26 rebounding edge and committed 10 fewer turnovers than Cincinnati Christian’s 24 miscues.

The Comfort Suites Invitational continues next week with seven games in four days.  The Colonels will play Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. on Friday.  They will face Towson at 6 p.m. on Saturday.  EKU takes on Radford on Sunday at 5 p.m."