Eastern Illinois hosts Tennessee State following Harper’s 23-point game

By Canadian Press on January 10, 2026.

Tennessee State Tigers (10-5, 4-1 OVC) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-10, 2-3 OVC)

Charleston, Illinois; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee State plays Eastern Illinois after Travis Harper II scored 23 points in Tennessee State’s 90-68 win against the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

The Panthers have gone 5-2 at home. Eastern Illinois has a 3-5 record in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Tigers are 4-1 in OVC play. Tennessee State averages 81.1 points and has outscored opponents by 5.4 points per game.

Eastern Illinois is shooting 42.1% from the field this season, 2.9 percentage points lower than the 45.0% Tennessee State allows to opponents. Tennessee State has shot at a 45.3% clip from the field this season, 1.2 percentage points greater than the 44.1% shooting opponents of Eastern Illinois have averaged.

The Panthers and Tigers square off Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zion Fruster is averaging 15.4 points for the Panthers. Preston Turner is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Harper is shooting 50.0% and averaging 17.5 points for the Tigers. Aaron Nkrumah is averaging 14.7 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 3-7, averaging 68.5 points, 29.5 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.0 points per game.

Tigers: 8-2, averaging 78.1 points, 33.8 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 10.7 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press