Eastern Illinois’ Kinyon Hodges swings back at a FAN who lost to Lindenwood… but a wild punch doesn’t land and junior guard is called out for a technical foul
An eastern Illinois men’s basketball player swung at a fan sitting in the front row during a game against Lindenwood University in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, Missouri.
Kinyon Hodges, an EIU player from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was seen trying to punch a Lindenwood fan in the first half of Thursday’s 80-67 loss to the Lions. Hodges didn’t make contact with the fan so awarded a technical foul but was allowed to stay in the game.
The EIU has said any disciplinary action will be “handled internally”.
“We do not condone this type of behavior from our men’s basketball team or any of our 500 student-athletes,” said EIU athletic director Tom Michael in a statement.
“The issue has been raised with both the player involved for the EIU and the Ohio Valley Conference, with all disciplinary action to be managed internally. The player in question understands that this is not the type of behavior exhibited by our student-athletes or our men’s basketball program, and in the heat of the moment, lets the emotions wash over him. This will be a learning moment that will continue and we apologize to anyone who may have been impacted by the incident.’
An eastern Illinois men’s basketball player punched a fan sitting in the front row at a game against Lindenwood University in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, Missouri. Kinyon Hodges, an EIU player from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was seen trying to punch a Lindenwood fan in the first half of Thursday’s 80-67 loss to the Lions. Hodges didn’t make contact with the fan so awarded a technical foul but was allowed to stay in the game
The punch was thrown at 2:26 in the first half when Hodges got distracted on offense, turned his back on live ball and headed to the touchline.
He is seen chewing with someone in the crowd before throwing a punch. The fan pulls back to avoid the punch but immediately stands up, taunting Hodges as he called a technical foul.
Meanwhile, teammate Nick Ellington dives in on a Lindenwood player in the background while Hodges is fixated on his argument with the fan.
Hodges played 24 minutes Thursday and scored two points with four strokes. He averaged 13.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the season.
The Division I roster is 7-17 for the season and 3-8 in OVC play.
Eastern Illinois, which includes former NBA coach PJ Carlesimo’s son Kyle, made national headlines earlier this season by upsetting Iowa. The 92-83 win in Iowa City is the biggest upset on points in modern times.
The game marked the first time in the past 30 years that a 30-point favorite lost a college basketball game, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
A New Jersey player bet on eastern Illinois and bet $1,000 on the moneyline (+1,000) to rake in $10,000, a company spokesman told .
Incredibly, at No. 60, Iowa was leading 18-4 early, and the Big Ten school seemed headed for an easy win. Instead, the 350th-ranked Panthers pulled away from the Hawkeyes in the closing moments of the game when point guard Hodges finished with 22 points.
“We chipped away,” Eastern Illinois coach Marty Simmons later told reporters. “I think it was a real blessing for us to go into half-time with eight. I think our boys felt that if they played well in the second half they had a chance.
With Iowa entering as a 31 1/2 point favorite, the upset proved to be the largest point spread in modern times, according to Caesars Sportsbook.