Eastern Illinois Panthers at Tennessee State Tigers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
47 - 50
Mekowulu lifts Tennessee State past Eastern Illinois 50-47
In a tight game where neither team led by more than five points, Tennessee State (10-11, 5-5 Ohio Valley Conference) got a pair of free throws followed by a 3-point play from Mekowulu to edge back on top 49-45 with 47 seconds remaining.
Montell Goodwin sliced the deficit back to two on a jumper at the other end before Mekowulu dropped in another free throw with seven seconds left and Ray Crossland missed a potentially game-tying 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer.
Mekowulu finished 8 of 14 from the field and missed just four of his 15 free throws to secure the season sweep over Eastern Illinois.
Eastern Illinois (7-14, 3-7) shot just 29 percent from the field. Mack Smith, who was just 3-of-12 shooting, scored 17 points and made all 11 of his free throws.
How can I watch Eastern Illinois vs. Tennessee State?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 47 - 50 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Tennessee State Defensive Rebound. | 47 - 50 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Ray Crossland missed Three Point Jumper. | 47 - 50 |
| 2nd 0:07 | Tennessee State Timeout | 47 - 50 |
| 2nd 0:07 | Christian Mekowulu made Free Throw. | 47 - 50 |
Statistics
 EIU |
 TNST |
|
|---|---|---|
| 14-48 | FG | 17-38 |
| 29 | Field Goal % | 45 |
| 5-19 | 3PT | 3-13 |
| 26 | Three Point % | 23 |
| 14-14 | FT | 13-21 |
| 100 | Free Throw % | 62 |
| 27 | Rebounds | 32 |
| 9 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 18 | Defensive Rebounds | 25 |
| 7 | Assists | 10 |
| 4 | Steals | 3 |
| 2 | Blocks | 3 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 6 | Points Off Turnovers | 10 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 17 | Fouls | 17 |
| 3 | Largest Lead | 5 |
Game Information
Location: Nashville, TN
Attendance: 1,344 | Capacity:
2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | 15-5 | - | 23-10 |
| Morehead State | 15-5 | - | 20-13 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 14-6 | 1 | 20-13 |
| UT Martin | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 12-8 | 3 | 19-13 |
| Lindenwood | 11-9 | 4 | 18-15 |
| Little Rock | 9-11 | 6 | 12-20 |
| Tennessee Tech | 8-12 | 6 | 13-18 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 13-20 |
| Southern Indiana | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
| Western Illinois | 1-19 | 14 | 5-26 |