Box Score

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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Redshirt-sophomore Katlyn Payne scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Panther women's basketball team over Illinois-Springfield, 83-42, in a preseason exhibition on Sunday afternoon at Lantz Arena.
 
The Prairie Stars kept the game close late through the first half, leading the Panthers 19-16 with 6:40 on the clock. EIU used a 22-2 run to end the first stanza and regain a lead it would never relinquish, taking a 38-21 advantage into intermission.
 
The Panthers hit 62.5 percent of their shots (20-for-32) in the second half, including a 5-for-10 performance from behind the arc to put the game out of reach for UIS. Defensively, EIU held the Prairie Stars to 8-for-34 shooting in the second stanza.
 
Payne also added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals to pace the Panther attack. Senior Kelsey Wyss added 18 points while classmate Mariah King chipped in 17 points. Freshman Alece Shumpert rounded out the scoring with 10 points.
 
The Panthers had 13 more rebounds (47-34) than the Prairie Stars, led by senior Ta'Kenya Nixon's team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Sabina Oroszova added seven rebounds and two blocks in the defensive effort.
 
EIU forced 22 turnovers, leading to 34 points while also recording 15 steals. Wyss paced the Panthers with four steals on the day.
 
The Panthers hit 51.5 percent of their shots from the floor, going 34-for-66. EIU also connected on 50 percent of its shots from behind the arc (10-for-20), led by Payne who went 4-for-7.
 
Megan Bergerud led the Prairie Starts with 12 points while Elizabeth Kelly added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds. UIS went 18-for-62 from the floor, only connecting on 29 percent of its shots.
 
The Panthers open the 2012-13 campaign at Indiana State on Friday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. CT.