Box Score

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

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Panther women's basketball team remained in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference west standings on Monday night, picking up an 89-79 win over Tennessee Tech. EIU improves to 10-7 overall and 4-1 in conference action.
 
With the contest tied at 53 with 13:20 left in the game, the Panthers went on a 7-2 run to take a 62-57 lead they would never relinquish. The Golden Eagles (10-8, 4-1 OVC) got within three points on the following possession, but could not overcome a hot shooting Panther squad.
 
EIU was able to hang onto the lead late in the game by going 18-for-18 from the charity stripe. The Panthers finished the day going 22-for-24 from the foul line. The Panthers also hit 64 percent of their shot attempts (16-for-25) in the second stanza, including a 4-for-5 mark in the game's final six minutes.
 
Ta'Kenya Nixon paced the offensive attack for EIU, scoring 23 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The senior guard also went 11-for-12 from the foul line and dished out a game-high six assists. Mariah King added 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting while Kelsey Wyss chipped in 17 points and Sydney Mitchell had 11 points.
 
EIU finished the day connecting on 50.8 percent of its field-goal attempts (30-for-59). The Golden Eagles went 30-for-57 on the night, draining 52.6 percent of their shots.
 
Defensively, the Panthers posted 12 more rebounds (35-23) than the Golden Eagles. Nixon led EIU on the glass with nine rebounds while Sabina Oroszova added six rebounds. The Panthers also forced 15 TTU turnovers, converting the miscues into 21 points.
 
Diamond Henderson led three Golden Eagle players in double figures with 28 points, going 11-for-14 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the foul line. Both Lashay Davis and Jala Harris added 12 points.  Molly Heady led the team with five rebounds.
 
The Panthers return to action at Austin Peay on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 5:15 p.m.