CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — A pair of Ohio Valley Conference teams seeking momentum will meet Tuesday when Eastern Illinois hosts Western Illinois in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball matchup at Lantz Arena.

The Panthers (6-10) enter with a modest two-game winning streak after home victories over Tennessee Tech (71-61) and Tennessee State (74-70) last week. Guard Zion Fruster has been instrumental, averaging 14.5 points and 3.5 assists in those wins. For the season, Fruster is a consistent offensive catalyst for Eastern Illinois.

Western Illinois (4-13) looks to snap a six-game skid. The Leathernecks fell 59-54 to Tennessee Tech on Saturday despite 16 points from guard Isaiah Griffin. Griffin has been a bright spot during the losing streak, averaging 13.1 points per game in conference play and scoring 21 points in a narrow loss at Tennessee-Martin on Jan. 1.

Eastern Illinois holds the home-court advantage and has shown recent improvement, particularly in close games, including an overtime win over SIU Edwardsville last month. Western Illinois has struggled on the road, with all four of its wins this season coming at home. Their last victory was a 78-47 home win over Hannibal-La Grange on Dec. 6.

This intrastate rivalry game is the first of two regular-season meetings between the programs this season. They will meet again in Macomb on Tuesday, Feb. 10. Both teams are early in their OVC schedules and will be looking to establish a positive trajectory in conference play.

Tuesday’s contest tips off at 7:30 p.m. CST. Eastern Illinois travels to face Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday, while Western Illinois continues its road swing at Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday.