Indiana State placed four players in double figures and used a 29-12 edge at the foul line to defeat Eastern Illinois 79-72 in a season opener Friday.
Carl Richard scored 15 points to lead the Sycamores. Jake Odum added 14, and Myles Walker and Dwayne Lathan had 11 apiece.
The Panthers' Jeremy Granger led all scorers with 26 points, and James Hollowell had 10.
Eastern Illinois made all 12 free throw attempts, but the Sycamores sank 29 of 36. The Panthers were called for 26 fouls to Indiana State's 14.
The Sycamores held a 36-27 rebounding advantage, though Eastern Illinois' Alfonzo McKinnie had a game-high eight.
Indiana State was up 55-54 with 10:15 to go before a 9-0 run made it 64-54 with 8:11 to play. The Panthers cut it to 75-72 with 53 seconds left, but Indiana State closed it with four more free throws.
