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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore Mariah King scored a game-high 18 points to lead Eastern Illinois over Austin Peay, 71-66, on Thursday evening at the Dunn Center.

With 29 seconds remaining in the contest, the Lady Governors (12-17, 11-6 OVC) had a chance to tie the game at 67, but Chantelle Pressley stole the ball from Austin Peay's Nicole Olszewski to give the Panthers (17-11, 12-5 OVC) the ball back. EIU would go 4-for-4 from the charity stripe as King and Ta'Kenya Nixon hit both of their free throw attempts down the stretch, giving the Panthers a 71-64 advantage with eight seconds remaining in the game. Olszewski would make a layup with three ticks left on the clock to make the final score, 71-66, in favor of EIU.

With the win, the Panthers locked up at least a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the annual Ohio Valley Conference Tournament held in Nashville, Tenn., on March 2-5.

The Panthers opened the game on a 12-2 run before Austin Peay fought back to tie the game at 20 with 7:41 left in the first half. The Lady Govs took their first and only lead of the game at the 3:40 mark, 28-26, before EIU closed the half on a 10-1 run to take a 36-29 advantage into the locker room.

EIU used a 5-0 run to open the second half, taking their largest lead of the game, 43-29, with 16:59 left in the game. The Panthers never trailed in the second half.

In addition to King's 18 points, Kelsey Wyss added 16 points while Sydney Mitchell finished with 10 points. Wyss was 4-for-7 from behind the arc in the victory.

Defensively, Nixon paced the Panthers with a game-high eight rebounds to go along with two steals. The sophomore also chipped in seven points and four assists.

Pressley posted a career-high seven assists and scored eight points. The Lexington, Ky., native also had four rebounds and a game-high three steals.

Brooke Faulkner led Austin Peay with 16 points while Jasmine Rayner added a double-double with 13 rebounds and 11 points.

EIU finishes the regular-season on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Tennessee State. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.