CHARLESTON, Illinois – In a back-and-forth contest that saw four lead changes in the final seven minutes, Troy (2-2) came up just short in a 71-67 defeat on the road to Eastern Illinois.
It turned into a crucial free throw shooting contest coming down the stretch. Troy took a 55-54 lead on a Juan Davis, Jr. free throw with 6:39 left in the game for the first lead since 9-8 early on.
The Panthers then had a shot to regain the lead but proceeded to miss four straight free throws by Patrick Muldoon and Muusa Dama in a subsequent 40-second span.