Boxscore:
PDF |
HTML >>>
Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. – In a rematch eerily similar to the first EIU-EKU meeting of the season,
Rachel Galligan led Eastern Illinois women's basketball to an 86-81 overtime victory with a career-high 31 points Saturday evening at Lantz Arena.
Galligan became the 19th member of EIU's 1,000-point club in the process. She scored 15 of her 31 points at the free throw line thanks to a personal-best 15-of-18 showing at the charity stripe. In the two games against EKU this season, Galligan has gone 27-of-31 at the line.
But the overtime contest was reminiscent of the first meeting last month in Richmond because the visiting team once again sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation. Niki Avery hit a contested trey as time expired, tying the game at 85-all.
Megan Edwards provided similar heroics for EIU (8-9, 7-2 OVC) last month.
Galligan scored the first basket of overtime before
Lauren Sturtevant and
Ashley Thomas accounted for the game-deciding points. Both reserves scored three points in overtime.
Eastern Kentucky (8-6, 3-4 OVC), meanwhile, did not score for the first 3:17 of overtime and did not connect on a field goal until the 1:02 mark. That score made it a two-point game, but Thomas answered on the other end with her biggest basket of the contest, a straight-on bank shot after an offensive rebound. Thomas finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Dominique Sims fouled out in overtime but not before putting together one of her best games of the season. Besides scoring 14 points, she also registered nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Eastern Kentucky had five players score in double-figures, led by 22 from Crystal Jones. The Lady Colonels also made 11-of-22 from 3-point land.
A pair of 3s from Ashley Cazee in the final minute of regulation set the stage for Avery's game-tying shot. But Cazee also fouled out in the final minute, and EKU was without LaTanya Stokes (10 points) during overtime as well.
The Panthers went 40-of-48 at the free throw line, establishing a new program record for attempts while coming up just one make shy of that record. Galligan also tied the EIU individual game records for free throws made and attempted.
Eastern Kentucky led by three points at the half, but neither team led by more than three until the stretch run.
Maggie Kloak ignited an 8-1 EIU run with back-to-back baskets, allowing the Panthers to open up a seven-point advantage with a minute a half remaining. The advantage was then six when Cazee hit the first of her two clutch 3-pointers. The Lady Colonels got the opportunity to tie the contest on the final possession after Edwards missed her first free throw with EIU leading by two and 14 seconds remaining.
Eastern Kentucky led by as many as 11 in the first half after a 16-5 run. 3-pointers from Cazee, Avery and Jones keyed the surge. The Panthers regained the lead just seven minutes later though with 11 unanswered points. Seven of those 11 came at the free throw line.
But EKU grabbed the momentum heading to the locker room by scoring six straight points in the final minute of the half, turning a three-deficit into a three-point lead in the process.
Eastern Illinois improved to 3-0 in overtime games this season and 6-3 during head coach
Brady Sallee's four-year tenure. The Panthers had never before played two overtime games against the same team in the same season before.
The Panthers return to action Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest at Tennessee Tech.
More Info: Contact
Ben Turner, Asst. SID
