Charlotte Edges EKU 71-68 for CBI Title; Eastern's Cozart, Blanton Named to All-Tourney Team
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky University cut a 20-point deficit with 11 minutes left in the game down to just one point, and had two chances or shots to force overtime for the fourth straight game, but fell 71-68 to No. 3 seed University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship game on Wednesday.
In his final game as a Colonel, Cooper Robb hit five 3-pointers and led the team with 17 points to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Michael Moreno hit four 3-pointers, finishing with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Isaiah Cozart had 10 points and four boards. Turner Buttry hit 3-of-4 from long range and finished with nine.
EKU won its first three games at the Discount Tire CBI in overtime, beating No. 9 seed Cleveland State (91-75), No. 1 Indiana State (89-88) and then No. 4 Southern Utah (108-106) in two overtimes.
The Colonels, who ended the regular season with a NCAA NET Ranking of 165, posted CBI wins over the No. 93rd ranked team (Indiana State), the No. 113th ranked team (Southern Utah) and No. 171 (Cleveland State). Those wins are in addition to regular season victories over No. 44 Liberty, No. 114 UNC Greensboro, No. 115 Kennesaw State and No. 140 UNC Asheville.
EKU finished the season with a record of 23-14, the third most wins in program history. This year’s team was the first in 78 years to win three games in a national postseason tournament.
Charlotte finished at 22-14.
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EKU's Isaiah Cozart and Devontae Blanton were chosen to the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational (CBI) All-Tournament Team, the organization announced Wednesday night after the championship game featuring the Colonels and Charlotte.
Cozart recorded a double-double in each of the first three games of the CBI. The 6-foot-7 junior forward averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks over four games. He shot 64 percent (29-for-45) from the field.
The Richmond, Ky., native opened the tournament with what was then a career-high 20 points and a career-best 17 rebounds in a win over Cleveland State. He went 8-for-16 from the field and also blocked five shots. A day later, Cozart scored 11 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in an upset victory of No. 1 seed Indiana State. Cozart hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in double overtime to beat Southern Utah and send the Colonels to the championship game. He finished with a new career-high 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting. Cozart also grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots against SUU. He closed out the CBI with 10 points and four rebounds in the title game against No. 3 seed Charlotte.
Blanton led the team in scoring over the four-game tournament, averaging 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-foot-6 wing from Macedonia, Ohio, hit on 53 percent of his attempts from the field, went 4-for-9 from long range and knocked in 10-of-11 at the free throw line (91 percent).
The Macedonia, Ohio native scored 22 points in the first round victory over Cleveland State. Against No. 1 Indiana State, Blanton finished with a career-high 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He had 24 points and four steals in the semifinal double-overtime win against Southern Utah. Blanton was limited to 15 minutes in the championship game due to an injury.
