Smith carries E. Illinois past SIU-Edwardsville 79-65

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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Mack Smith scored 18 points as Eastern Illinois topped Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 79-65 on Thursday. Josiah Wallace added 16 points for the Panthers, while Ben Harvey chipped in 15.

JaQualis Matlock had 11 rebounds and three blocks for Eastern Illinois (14-12, 7-6 Ohio Valley Conference).

Brandon Jackson had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (8-17, 4-9). Jaylen McCoy added 12 points. Daniel Kinchen had 11 points.

Tyresse Williford, who led the Cougars in scoring heading into the matchup with 14 points per game, shot only 20 percent for the game (1 of 5).

The Panthers improve to 2-0 against the Cougars this season. Eastern Illinois defeated Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 84-81 on Jan. 5. Eastern Illinois plays Southeast Missouri at home on Saturday. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville faces UT Martin at home on Saturday.