NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eric Stutz scored a career-high 22 points and notched his second double-double as Eastern Kentucky defeated Southeast Missouri State 84-69 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Stutz was 9-of-11 shooting foul shots and grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Colonels (24-8) overcome a 38.9-percent shooting performance (21 of 54) that included a 5-of-24 showing from 3-point range. Eastern Kentucky went to the foul line 45 times, though, converting 37 shots (82.2 percent).
The third-seeded Colonels will take on No. 2 Murray State at 8 p.m. Friday.
Southeast Missouri State (17-16) entered as the fifth-best 3-point shooting team in the country, hitting 40.2 percent, but shot just 13.6 percent (3 of 22) from deep Thursday. Corey Wilford, a 44.1-percent 3-point shooter for the year, was 0 for 7. Nick Niemczyk accounted for all three makes in seven attempts, while Nino Johnson had 18 points.
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