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.
---
For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25
---
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood | 1-0 | - | 6-4 |
| Morehead State | 1-0 | - | 4-7 |
| UT Martin | 0-0 | 0.5 | 8-3 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 0-0 | 0.5 | 7-4 |
| Tennessee State | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-4 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 0-0 | 0.5 | 5-6 |
| Tennessee Tech | 0-0 | 0.5 | 5-6 |
| Western Illinois | 0-0 | 0.5 | 4-7 |
| Southern Indiana | 0-0 | 0.5 | 3-7 |
| Eastern Illinois | 0-1 | 1 | 2-8 |
| Little Rock | 0-1 | 1 | 2-9 |
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 2-0 | - | 11-1 |
| Northern Iowa | 0-0 | 1 | 8-2 |
| Illinois State | 0-0 | 1 | 8-3 |
| Murray State | 0-0 | 1 | 8-3 |
| Bradley | 0-0 | 1 | 7-4 |
| Indiana State | 0-0 | 1 | 7-4 |
| Drake | 0-0 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-0 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Valparaiso | 0-0 | 1 | 6-5 |
| UIC | 0-1 | 1.5 | 4-6 |
| Evansville | 0-1 | 1.5 | 4-8 |
Mens College Basketball News

Fletcher scores 24 as High Point takes down Mary Baldwin 129-47
4h

Trent Middleton Jr. scores 21 points to lead North Carolina A&T past UNC Greensboro 71-65
4h

Towns scores 19 points, grabs 11 boards as Bowling Green downs Chicago State 76-55
4h

