EIU's hot start buries Southern 54-43

NICEVILLE, Fla. - Trae Anderson came off the bench to score 16 points and Eastern Illinois took control in the first half Saturday to defeat Southern 54-43 in the Emerald Coast Classic.

The Panthers (2-5) raced to a 24-1 lead and were never threatened by the Jaguars (1-6).

Anderson had eight points in the game-opening run that featured two 3-pointers by Dylan Chatman and seven points by Keenen Anderson.

Southern, which shot 32 percent for the game, got its first basket 11 minutes in when Chris Thomas hit a 3. It was 32-14 at the half.

Eastern Illinois, which went 8 of 15 from 3-point range and shot 58 percent for the game, got 11 points from Chatman.

Jared Sam had 13 points for the Jaguars without missing a shot. He made three field goals and seven free throws.