Eastern Illinois Panthers @ Belmont Bruins
Rick Byrd wins 800th career game; Belmont beats E. Illinois
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Rick Byrd won his 800th career game as Belmont rolled past Eastern Illinois 99-58 on Thursday night.
Byrd joined Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, North Carolina's Roy Williams, West Virginia's Bob Huggins and Coastal Carolina's Cliff Ellis as active Division I coaches with 800 career victories.
Dylan Windler had 22 points as Belmont won its 10th consecutive game. Nick Muszynski had 18 points and three assists for Belmont (22-4, 13-2 Ohio Valley Conference). Kevin McClain added 12 points. Grayson Murphy had 10 points and eight assists for the hosts.
Belmont posted a season-high 18 3-pointers.
Rade Kukobat had 11 points for the Panthers (14-14, 7-8). Mack Smith added 10 points.
Josiah Wallace, whose 15 points per game heading into the matchup led the Panthers, had 7 points (3 of 12).
Belmont takes on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at home on Saturday. Eastern Illinois plays Tennessee State on the road on Saturday.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap , using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
Nashville, TN
Referee:Jeb Hartness
Referee:Mike O'Neill
Referee:Mike Grundman
2025-26 Standings
| Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | 15-5 | - | 23-10 |
| Morehead State | 15-5 | - | 20-13 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 14-6 | 1 | 20-13 |
| UT Martin | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 12-8 | 3 | 19-13 |
| Lindenwood | 11-9 | 4 | 18-15 |
| Little Rock | 9-11 | 6 | 12-20 |
| Tennessee Tech | 8-12 | 7 | 13-18 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 13-20 |
| Southern Indiana | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
| Western Illinois | 1-19 | 14 | 5-26 |
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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