ST. CHARLES, Mo. (Interstat) — The Lindenwood Lions will look to solidify their position in the Ohio Valley Conference standings when they host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Thursday night at Robert F. Hyland Performance Arena. Lindenwood (16-13) enters the matchup with a winning record, seeking momentum before its regular-season finale at Western Illinois. The Lions have struggled recently, however, dropping three straight games, including a 72-57 loss at Tennessee Tech on Saturday. In that game, forward Jadis Jones grabbed 14 rebounds to go with eight points and four assists. Jones has been a consistent interior presence, posting double-digit rebounds in two of his last four outings and scoring 22 points in a narrow win over Tennessee-Martin on Feb. 12. Eastern Illinois (11-18) aims to play spoiler and snap a two-game skid of its own, coming off a heartbreaking 70-68 home loss to Southern Indiana. The Panthers’ offense runs through guard Zion Fruster, who is in the midst of a stellar individual stretch. He poured in a career-high 28 points in that narrow defeat and has averaged 18.4 points over his last five games, including a 20-point effort in a road win at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 7. The Lions won the season’s first meeting, an 82-74 victory in Charleston on Dec. 6. Containing Fruster will be a key focus for Lindenwood’s defense, while Eastern Illinois must find an answer for Jones on the glass. The Panthers have shown they can compete with top teams, taking Morehead State to the wire in a 73-70 loss on Feb. 19, but closing out games has been a season-long challenge. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EST Thursday in the final home game of the regular season for Lindenwood. Eastern Illinois concludes its season on the road at SIU Edwardsville on Saturday.