[Box Score]

CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball won their first season opener since the 2011-12 season in front of an energetic home crowd at Lantz Arena as the Panthers outlasted IUPUI 77-71 in overtime. Grace Lennox led the team with a career high 19 points as five different Panthers scored in double digits. Lennox finished the game with nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 41 minutes on the court.

The match started out all IUPUI as the Jaguars took the lead following an Akilah Sims layup in the first 15 seconds of the first quarter and would not relinquish it until late in the fourth period. This is the first season that women's basketball will be played in four 10 minute quarters as opposed to two 20 minute halves. IUPUI was relentless in the first quarter as they shot 64.3% from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc to finish the quarter with a 26-19 lead over EIU. 

The second period was much more defensive for each squad as both EIU and IUPUI only sank four buckets a piece. The Jaguars ended the final four minutes of the match with a 7-2 run to take a 36-27 lead into the locker room. 

IUPUI came out shooting in the second half as they extended their lead to 12 points, their largest of the night, leading 43-31 with 6:36 left to play. Alece Shumpert stopped the Jaguar momentum as she hit two big three pointers back-to-back to pull the Panthers within six points as IUPUI led 43-37 midway through the third period. Shumpert finished the match with 11 points. The crowd came alive during the third period as the Panthers turned up the heat, but EIU could not break the six point lead set up by IUPUI. The Jaguars ended the period leading 52-45.

EIU came out in the fourth period fired up as Brittin Boyer sank a jumper to immediately send the Panthers on a 6-1 run to start the final period cutting IUPUI's lead to two. The freshman would finish the match with 10 points to start her career as a Panther. It wasn't until the 2:12 mark that EIU would earn their first lead of the night after another three pointer from Shumpert put the Panthers ahead 64-63 with time winding down in the match. A three pointer from Lennox followed by a free throw from Shakita Cox looked to have the game wrapped up for the Panthers as they led 68-65 with less than 20 seconds left in the game. The Jaguars did not go without a fight as IUPUI's Sims sank a three pointer as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Sims finished the match with 22 points.

The Panthers were first on the board as Mariah Madison sank a jumper to put EIU up 70-68. Madison finished the match with a career high 14 points, six coming in the fourth period alone to help propel EIU to overtime. Madison and Lennox were the only players to make a basket in overtime with free throws from Boyer and Cox wrapping up a 77-71 overtime victory for the Panthers. Erica Brown had two of her four blocks in the match coming in overtime to help seal the win, as she finished the match with 12 points.

EIU has a quick turnaround as the women's basketball team heads to Memphis for a 2 p.m. match Sunday [Nov. 15] against the Tigers.