A-State (1-4) led 71-62 with 3:45 to play, but Eastern Illinois (3-2) rallied to send the game to overtime. The Panthers grabbed the early advantage in the overtime stanza and pulled out the 90-86 decision.
“What can you say about this one, we led for most of the game and Eastern Illinois made some really tough shots over us,” said A-State head coach Mike Balado. “It was unfortunate because our team wants to win so badly. I thought we were prepared and had a great game plan today, but a guy just made shots and you credit them.