Colonels roll past West Georgia for sixth straight win

 RICHMOND — A 19-5 run to start the second half sent the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to a 95-73 victory over the University of West Georgia on Thursday at Baptist Health Arena.  It was the Colonels sixth straight win.

 Up five at halftime, 51-46, Jordan Crawford started the second with a dunk.  After a basket from the Wolves, the Colonels (15-11, 9-4 ASUN) scored the next nine points.  Turner Buttry’s 3-pointer, off a turnover, pushed EKU ahead 62-48 with 15:46 left in the game.  Mayar Wall capped the run with a pair of 3-pointers.  He hit the first from the left corner.  The second from the left wing, after another UWG turnover, made it 70-51 with 13:19 remaining.

 Wol led all players with a career-best 25 points, hitting on 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-10 from behind the arc.  He also grabbed seven rebounds.  Crawford contributed a career-high 22 points, finishing 5-of-10 from 3-point range.  Devontae Blanton had 20 points, a career-high 11 assists and five rebounds.

 EKU shot 52 percent from the field for the game and went 16-for-34 (47%) from deep.

 The Colonels got off to a slow start defensively and the Wolves jumped out to a 10-point lead, 30-20, on a 3-pointer from Kolten Griffin with 8:38 left in the opening period.  EKU righted the ship with a 19-9 run.

 Six points came for the Colonels without the ball ever leaving their offensive end of the court.  Crawford was fouled on a made 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 32-25.  He missed the free throw and secured the offensive rebound himself.  Jackson Holt hit a triple from the right wing to draw within four.  After a steal by Montavious Myrick on the other end, Crawford came back down and hit another 3-pointer to make it a 1-point game, 32-31.  EKU tied it, and capped the run, on two free throws from Myrick with 2:43 before the break.

 The Colonels closed out the first half on a 9-3 run.  Blanton’s 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the home team to the locker room in front by five, 51-46.

 West Georgia (4-22, 2-11 ASUN) shot 58% in the first half while EKU hit on 49%.  The Colonels went 8-for-18 (44%) from behind the arc.  The Wolves were 4-for-6 from deep. EKU limited the Wolves to 36% shooting from the field in the second half and just 2-of-10 from behind the arc.

 Shelton Williams-Dryden had a team-best 21 points and eight rebounds for UWG.

EKU will host Queens on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.  A special family four-pack for only $20 is available for Saturday’s game.