Kukobat's FTs push Eastern Illinois past Gardner-Webb 79-78
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Rade Kukobat made a pair of free throws with three seconds left to push Eastern Illinois past Gardner-Webb 79-78 on Friday.
Gardner-Webb trailed 77-74 with 52 seconds left when Christian Turner made a pair of free throws to pull the Bulldogs to 77-76. Turner then forced a turnover, and following Bulldogs' timeout, Gardner-Webb took a 78-77 lead on David Efianayi's jumper with eight seconds to go. But Nate Johnson fouled Kukobat following timeouts from both teams.
Josiah Wallace made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead Eastern Illinois (2-2). Mack Smith added 13 points, Kukobat finished with 12 and Kashawn Charles chipped in with 11.
Efianayi was 6 of 10 from the floor and made seven free throws to lead Gardner-Webb (1-4) with 20 points. Johnson added 10 points for the Bulldogs.
The Panthers opened the second half on a 16-6 run and led 51-44, but Gardner-Webb tied it at 53 then neither team led by more than four points.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Andrew Barksdale
- Jeff Pon
- Kyle Regetz
2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Missouri State | 15-5 | - | 21-12 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| Little Rock | 12-8 | 3 | 19-14 |
| Tennessee State | 12-8 | 3 | 17-16 |
| Lindenwood | 10-10 | 5 | 16-17 |
| Tennessee Tech | 10-10 | 5 | 15-17 |
| Morehead State | 10-10 | 5 | 15-17 |
| UT Martin | 9-11 | 6 | 14-19 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 12-19 |
| Western Illinois | 6-14 | 9 | 12-19 |
| Southern Indiana | 5-15 | 10 | 10-20 |
2024-25 Big South Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point | 14-2 | - | 29-5 |
| Winthrop | 11-5 | 3 | 23-11 |
| UNC Asheville | 11-5 | 3 | 21-11 |
| Radford | 9-7 | 5 | 20-13 |
| Longwood | 7-9 | 7 | 18-14 |
| Presbyterian | 7-9 | 7 | 14-18 |
| Charleston Southern | 6-10 | 8 | 10-22 |
| Gardner-Webb | 5-11 | 9 | 11-20 |
| South Carolina Upstate | 2-14 | 12 | 6-26 |
Men's College Basketball News
