Box Score
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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Ta'Kenya Nixon led three Panthers in double figures with a game-high 14 points as the Eastern Illinois women's basketball team defeated Southeast Missouri, 64-46, on Saturday afternoon at the Show Me Center. EIU improves to 15-8 overall and remains in first place of the Ohio Valley Conference with a 9-2 conference record.
Tied at six early in the first half, the Panthers went on an 11-2 run to take a 17-8 advantage they would never relinquish. SEMO (9-15, 3-8 OVC) got within four (25-21) with just over a minute left in the first half before
Sabina Oroszova hit the Panthers first three pointer of the afternoon with 11 seconds on the clock to give EIU a 28-21 halftime lead.
EIU carried the momentum into the second stanza and led by as much as 18 (53-35) with 5:59 left in the game. The Redhawks cut their deficit to 10 (56-46) with 1:49 left on the clock, but the Panthers closed the contest by scoring six unanswered points to win their second consecutive road OVC game.
Kelsey Wyss added 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting with three made three pointers. The senior guard is only six made three pointers away from becoming the school's all-time leader.
Mariah King chipped in 11 points while
Jordyne Crunk added eight points. Nixon also had a game-high eight assists in the victory.
Defensively, the Panthers grabbed two more rebounds (40-38) than the Redhawks led by
Sydney Mitchell's game-high nine rebounds. Oroszova also added seven rebounds and a block for EIU.
The Panthers finished the game going 21-for-53 from the floor and 17-for-23 from the foul line. Crunk went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe while King went 7-for-8. SEMO went 20-for-62 from the field and 3-for-26 from behind the arc.
Jordan Hunter paced the Redhawk offense with 10 points while Kara Wright added nine points. Bailie Roberts led the team on the glass with eight rebounds.
The Panthers return to action on Feb. 12 in a non-conference game against Oakland City inside Lantz Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
