Muszynski leads Belmont against Eastern Illinois after 21-point game

Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-21, 3-10 OVC) at Belmont Bruins (22-5, 12-2 OVC)

Nashville, Tennessee; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Belmont hosts the Eastern Illinois Panthers after Nick Muszynski scored 21 points in Belmont's 81-72 win over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.

The Bruins are 10-1 on their home court. Belmont is 1-1 in one-possession games.

The Panthers are 3-10 against OVC opponents. Eastern Illinois is 2-10 against opponents with a winning record.

The teams square off for the second time this season in OVC play. The Bruins won the last matchup 90-56 on Jan. 24. Ben Sheppard scored 15 points points to help lead the Bruins to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Sheppard is shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc with 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Bruins, while averaging 16.2 points. Muszynski is averaging 16.2 points and 1.7 blocks over the past 10 games for Belmont.

Kashawn Charles is shooting 37.0% and averaging 9.0 points for the Panthers. Paul Bizimana is averaging 13.3 points over the last 10 games for Eastern Illinois.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 9-1, averaging 79.5 points, 31.1 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.8 points per game.

Panthers: 3-7, averaging 59.7 points, 24.6 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 6.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by