RICHMOND — On a night where the Colonels were uncharacteristically stone-cold from long range, an unlikely member of the Anteaters got hot.

UC-Irvine’s Mike Wilder scored 18 points, off of 6-of-9 three-point shooting, and Eastern Kentucky University was just 5-of-23 from beyond the arc.

However, it was EKU’s superb free-throw shooting (22-of-26) and post defense that led the team to a 67-57 win over the Anteaters Tuesday at McBrayer Arena in the CBE Classic.

“I’m really proud of the way we defended,” EKU coach Jeff Neubauer said. “We took away their two main scorers. We didn’t expect Wilder to be that good from distance, but he shot it well tonight. We did a great job on the defensive end, giving us a chance, and we went to the free-throw line and shot it in.”

EKU (3-1) got off to a quick start, scoring eight of the first 11 points and held a nine-point lead within the first eight minutes of the game. Junior Justin Stommes, who had his lowest offensive output of the season Monday against Fairleigh Dickinson, made a layup and foul shot with 12:40 left to give the Colonels a 17-8 advantage.

“We expected that from Justin,” Neubauer said. “He’s a very good player, very talented, and I’m really proud of him by the way he responded. That’s what a good player does after a slower offensive night.”

After extending their lead to 13, Wilder began to find his shot, scoring six of the next eight points to cut the EKU lead to just five. The Colonels stretched it back to eight by halftime and only allowed the Anteaters (2-3) 23 first-half points.

“A lot of games, we’re going to win because we have great shooters,” Neubauer said. “This game, we weren’t great from the perimeter, but we held them to 23 points at the half. Our defense tonight, especially trapping at the post, was very effective.”

The Colonels scored seven of the first eight points of the second half. However, with defensive post player Spencer Perrin in foul trouble late in the game, UC-Irvine closed the gap to less than 10 with just less than two minutes left in the game.

“We struggled some from the three-point line,” Stommes said. “What we’ve been working on is our defense. It kept us in the game when we were struggling offensively. Mike Wilder got really hot down the stretch and made it a close game.”

Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch — one by Josh Taylor, four by Josh Jones and two by Josh Daniel — sealed the win for EKU.

Stommes scored 21 for the Colonels, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. It was the first time he had not scored from beyond the arc this season. Joining him in double-figures were Taylor (16 points, 3-of-9 from three-point range), Jones (12 points, 6-of-6 from the free-throw line) and Daniel (10 points, also 6-of-6 from the free-throw line).

“We do encourage balance,” Neubauer said. “We want a balanced attack every night. It’s good to see Josh Daniel coming off the bench and make a strong contribution. I’m really proud of what he’s done.”

EKU had a season-low for assists (11), but, as usual, had fewer turnovers (just nine). The Colonels forced eight steals and the Anteaters committed 16 turnovers.

“They certainly made it a point that they were going to make us dribble the basketball, pressure our guards and try to force turnovers,” Neubauer said. “We did have good value for the ball. When people play aggressively, you’re going to get fouled and go to the line.”

The Colonels will face Texas-San Antonio tonight at 6 p.m. in the final game of the CBE Classic. The Roadrunners topped Fairleigh Dickinson in the second game Tuesday night, 75-61.