Jan. 4, 2003

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - Henry Domercant scored 35 points on 14-of-17 shooting, pacing Eastern Illinois to a 85-75 victory over Southeast Missouri in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams Saturday night.

Domercant, who scored 21 of his points in the second half, hit all five of his 3-point field-goal tries and also had six assists.

Jesse Mackinson added 18 points and David Roos 12 for Eastern Illinois (5-7, 1-0 OVC).

Southeast (5-7, 0-1 OVC) got 23 points from Derek Winans, who hit four of seven 3-pointers. Damarcus Hence added 15 points, Demetrius King 13 and Brett Hale 10 for the Indians, who shot 47 percent from the field and hit half of their 22 3-point tries while Eastern shot 57 percent from the floor, including 10 of 15 from 3-point range.

The Panthers led 83-64 when a Winans 3-pointer with 52 seconds to play started an 11-0 Southeast run that took just 19 seconds. The Indians forced three straight turnovers, with Winans and King each hitting 3-pointers and Winans adding another basket, making it 83-75 with 34 seconds to play. But the Indians could get no closer.

Southeast jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first 2:41 of the game, but Eastern surged back and led 46-37 at halftime.

Eastern then hit nine of its first 10 second-half shots, pushing the margin to 56-38 lead with 14:49 to go.