RICHMOND, Ky. — Eastern Kentucky scored 55 first-half points and never looked back as the Colonels defeated Georgetown, 93-63, in the season opener in McBrayer Arena on Tuesday night.
EKU (1-0) led 10-9 before knocking down a trio of three-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor to go up 19-12. Out of the under-12 media timeout, DaShawn Jackson [ekusports.com] drained a pair of trifectas on his first two career shot attempts to highlight a 17-1 run that gave the Colonels a 38-18 lead with 7:28 left in the first half. Russhard Cruickshank's [ekusports.com] layup at the buzzer gave Eastern Kentucky a 55-29 advantage at halftime.
The Colonels opened the second half with eight consecutive points and held Georgetown scoreless until the 16:26 mark. The Tigers (3-1) never pulled within 28 in the final stanza as EKU cruised to a 30-point victory.
Cooper Robb [ekusports.com] finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Michael Moreno [ekusports.com] scored 15 points and led the Colonels with nine rebounds. Tariq Balogun [ekusports.com] contributed 11 points on the night. In his first game as a Colonel, Braxton Beverly [ekusports.com] scored nine points and dished a team-high seven assists.
Eastern Kentucky shot 66.7 percent (22-for-33) in the first half and 56.7 percent for the game. The Colonels connected 14 of their 33 three-point attempts and assisted on 19 of their 38 field goals. Both teams pulled down 35 rebounds.
EKU returns to action Thursday night with an 8:00 p.m. home contest against Ohio Valley.
