Eastern Illinois’ Kinyon Hodges takes a swing at a FAN in loss to Lindenwood

A men’s basketball player for Eastern Illinois took a swing at a fan seated in the front row of 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 did not make contact with the fan, so has assess a technical foul, but allowed to stay in the game.

EIU has said that any discipline will be ‘handled internally.’

‘We do not condone this type of behavior by our men’s basketball team or any of our 500 student-athletes,’ read a statement by EIU athletic director Tom Michael.

‘The issue has been addressed with both the player involved for EIU as well as the Ohio Valley Conference with any disciplinary action to be handled internally. The player in question understands that this is not the type of behavior displayed by our student-athletes or our men’s basketball program and in the heat of the moment let emotions get the best of him. This will be a learning moment moving forward and we apologize to anyone that may have been adversely impacted by the incident.’

A men’s basketball player for Eastern Illinois took a swing at a fan seated in the front row of 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 did not make contact with the fan, so has assess a technical foul, but allowed to stay in the game

The punch was thrown with 2:26 remaining in the first half when Hodges became distracted on offense, turned his back on the live ball and walked towards the sideline.

He is seen jawing with someone in the crowd before taking a swing. The fan pulls back to avoid the blow, but promptly stands and mocks Hodges as he’s whistled for a technical foul.

Meanwhile, teammate Nick Ellington is seen dunking on a Lindenwood player in the background while Hodges is fixated on his dispute with the fan.

Hodges played 24 minutes on Thursday, scoring two points on four shots. For the season, he’s averaging 13.8 points and 3.6 rebounds a game.

The Division I squad 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 news earlier this season by upsetting Iowa. The 92-83 win in Iowa City is the biggest upset by point spread in the modern era.

The game marked the first time that a 30-point favorite had lost a college basketball game in the last 30 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

One New Jersey gambler bet on Eastern Illinois, putting $1,000 on the moneyline (+1000) to pocket $10,000, a company spokesman told DailyMail.com.

Incredibly, 60th-ranked Iowa held an early 18-4 lead, and the Big Ten school looked to be on its way to an easy win. Instead, the 350th-ranked Panthers pulled away from the Hawkeyes in the game’s final moments, as point guard Hodges finished with 22 points.

‘We chipped away,’ Eastern Illinois coach Marty Simmons told reporters afterwards. ‘I think going into halftime down eight was a real blessing for us. I think our guys felt like they had an opportunity if they played well in the second half.’

With Iowa entering as a 31 1/2-point favorite, the upset proved to be the biggest by point spread in the modern era, per Caesars Sportsbook.