Box Score

BOX (PDF)  |  BOX (HTML)  |  Photo Gallery by Sandy King

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Panther women's basketball team picked up an 88-67 win over San Jose State on Monday afternoon in the team's annual Kid's Day game at Lantz Arena. The win marks the first victory for first-year head coach Lee Buchanan at the helm of the program.
 
Trailing 5-4 in the opening minutes, EIU scored five unanswered points to take a 10-5 lead at the 13:01 mark in the first half. The Panthers never trailed again and built an 11-point advantage 34-23 with 4:48 on the clock before taking a 40-32 lead into the half.
 
The Panthers heated up from the floor in the second stanza, hitting 51.4 percent of their shots (19-for-37) and leading by double figures for the final 12:37 of the game. EIU led by as much as 24 points (88-64) with 36 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
Jordyne Crunk led a group of five Panthers who scored in double figures with 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Mariah King added 14 points while Kelsey Wyss chipped in 13 points. Ta'Kenya Nixon also had 12 points and Katlyn Payne scored 11 points, respectively. EIU had 21 assists on the day, led by Nixon who had nine assists and Wyss who dished out five assists. 
 
Defensively, the Panthers outrebounded the Spartans by 13 (49-36) led by Sydney Mitchell who grabbed eight rebounds. A trio of players in King, Payne and Sabina Oroszova each had seven rebounds.
 
EIU also forced 23 Spartan turnovers, converting the miscues into 26 points. Wyss posted a game-high five steals as EIU recorded 11 steals on the day.
 
Ta'Rea Cunnigan led San Jose State with 21 points and seven rebounds. Chereese Thomas added 13 points in the loss. The Spartans connected on 37.3 percent of their shots (22-for-59) on the day.
 
The Panthers return to action at the Marriott Classic in Dayton, Ohio on Nov. 24-25. EIU faces Buffalo on Saturday at 6 p.m. before playing the host Flyers at 1 p.m. on Sunday.