Ellen Canale and Dominique Sims both finished with 12 points. Canale connected on a career-high four 3-pointers for the second straight game.

 

Galligan also registered season highs for field goals (11) and rebounds (13), posting her 17th career double-double in the process. Her 13 boards represent the most by a Panther this year. She scored 17 points in the second half.

 

“She came out with vengeance on her mind,” said EIU head coach Brady Sallee, referencing Galligan's six-point performance in the win at Morehead State Thursday. “She didn't like the way she played. And that's what great players do. They might have a bad game every now and again. But I knew we would get a great effort out of her. She had 28 and 13 and shot the ball really well from the field. She was just a dominating factor and got their whole team in foul trouble just about.”

 

Eastern Illinois (19-9, 12-2 OVC) recorded more assists (18) than turnovers (15) for the third straight game, point guard Megan Edwards leading the way with five assists. She also scored eight points, but saw her streak of consecutive made free throws end at 37.

 

The Panthers never trailed after scoring the first five points of the game. But EKU (6-18, 3-12 OVC) cut a 17-point deficit to seven with two minutes and 49 seconds remaining thanks to a 12-2 run. Galligan answered with a baseline jumper at the 2:33 mark, ending a three-minute field goal drought. The Panthers then made 6-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.

 

After leading by eight at the intermission, EIU began the second half with seven unanswered points to open up a double-figure advantage for most of the remainder of the contest. A Sims' 3-pointer put the Panthers up 15 at the 12:18 mark, but EKU battled back with a 9-2 spurt.

 

Galligan scored seven points during the ensuing 13-4 EIU run, igniting the surge with a three-point play. Canale's fourth 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game, at the 5:41 mark. But Galligan's baseline jumper was EIU's only field goal the rest of the contest.

 

An early 8-2 spurt gave the Panthers a minimum two-possession advantage for much of the first half. Maggie Kloak capped the surge with a highlight-reel caliber, one-woman fast break. The 6-foot-1 post player beat two EKU players to a loose ball at center court and dribbled it all the way to the basket for layup. She was fouled on the play and made the free throw to complete the three-point play.

 

After the Lady Colonels cut the lead to three, EIU answered with 12-5 run. Edwards and Canale both connected on a 3-pointer during the surge.

 

With the win, the Panthers swept the Morehead State-Eastern Kentucky road trip for the second year in a row. Austin Peay was the only other OVC team to win both ends of the so-called “Death Valley” swing this season.

 

“[The win streak] is just a byproduct of really everything we've been doing,” Sallee said. “The hard work that these girls are putting in, the commitment and loyalty they've showed to how we're playing. It pays off with these kinds of streaks, being able to go win tough games on the road, and being one of the two teams that really have a chance to win [the OVC]. That's exactly where we wanted to be and where we expected to be. Five years ago when we were going through this that first year [of my tenure], I didn't know when it was going to come, but I didn't stop thinking that it was going to come. It is very nice to see them playing the way they are and at the level they are.”

 

EIU can clinch a home game in the first round of the OVC Tournament Thursday with a win against UT Martin or a Southeast Missouri loss to league-leading Murray State.

The EIU-UTM game at Lantz Arena Thursday has been designated a Pink Zone event, during which the Panthers will recognize breast cancer survivors and raise money for prevention and awareness of the disease. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID