RICHMOND — With the NCAA adding two more games to the season, Colonel coach Jeff Neubauer was able to add more challenges for his young team.

Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team passed one of those tests with a victory over East Tennessee State University. And the second is tonight on the road against James Madison University.

Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Harrisonburg, VA.

EKU started this road swing last Friday with a trip to the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The Colonels beat the Bulldogs, 73-54, and then continued on to JMU. Despite the lengthy journey, Neubauer has tried to keep things business as usual.

“We were able to come to James Madison for a walk through on Sunday night and a lift,” the second-year coach said. “We treated it as if we were at home. We worked on our basketball IQ and also our bodies. We practiced today like we would at home even though it is an extended trip.”

Last year it was January before EKU picked up a win on the road, but Neubauer said everyone played their roles and accepted their roles in the win over UNCA.

“I’m really happy with the team play at Asheville. ... Those that are passers were looking to pass. We rebounded very well on both ends. Asheville did not turn it over much, but did miss a lot of shots and we cleaned up the misses.”

Unfortunately the Dukes are not missing many shots this year with five players averaging double-figures. Juwann James leads the way with 18 points, while Joe Posey comes off the bench with 17 a game.

“I see James Madison very similar to the Ohio State team with four guards on the floor at the same time,” Neubauer said. “They have the four guards and then the rookie of the year in James as the starting center. They have a very talented roster.”

EKU has two players averaging double figures — Mike Rose, 15.4, and Julian Mascoll, 12.2 — while freshman Adam Leonard (9.2) and transfer Jamaal Douglas (8) are not far behind.



Lady Colonels get rematch with Belmont

After winning just three on the road and none against non-conference teams last year, the Lady Colonels (2-3) victory over Louisiana Tech gave them one of each.

Eastern Kentucky University’s women’s basketball team has spent much of the early season away from McBrayer.

In Hawaii Larry Joe Inman’s team faced down top tier competition, but despite solid efforts came up on the short end of the scoreboard in both games. Then a trip to Mississippi saw EKU knock off the Lady Techsters.

“It’s been a great trip with some great basketball,” the veteran coach said. “(Beating Tech) was a great win for our kids. ... And it was a great win for our program. To beat a team that is the defending WAC champion and a team consistently in the national playoffs speaks volumes. It was a good win on a neutral site, but now we have to get a win in a hostile environment.”

The Lady Colonels get that chance today against Belmont in Nashville, TN.

Tip is set for 8 p.m.

The Lady Bruins (3-2) had a strong showing last year that ended in a WNIT appearance. Their success began with an overtime victory against EKU in Richmond behind Alysha Clark. She had a break out game with 29 points and 18 rebounds. The forward continued to roll averaging 20 points a game for her freshman season.

“We are playing another great team in Belmont. They’ve already beaten Mississippi State and Florida Atlantic and beat us at home last year,” Inman said. “They’ve got a nice team with the Clark kid as its nucleus. She put on a clinic last year.”

While freshman Amber Kirkpatrick will most likely get the assignment to try and stop Clark, Inman knows it will be a team effort.

The veteran coach says he is hoping to double-team the forward and keep her from getting into a rhythm while forcing Belmont to try and score from the outside.