CLEVELAND - Cleveland State handed the Eastern Illinois women's basketball team their fifth loss this season to close out EIU's three game road trip. The Panthers fell to 1-5 with the 77-69 loss. The Vikings improve to 4-2 on the season.

Grace Lennox led the Panthers with a season high performance of 24 points. Lennox also dished out five assists, tallied five steals, and grabbed four rebounds. Jennifer Nehls also finished in double-figures for EIU. She scored 12 points with four rebounds and four assists.

The game saw four lead changes as the teams battled through the four quarters. EIU won the first and third quarters, but let the Vikings outscore them by nine in the second and two in the fourth leading to their eight point loss. The teams shot evenly through the game. The Panthers finished shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the arc while The Vikings shot 49 percent from the field and 31 percent from the arc.

The Panthers bench outscored Cleveland State's 21-19 with big performances from Taylor Steele and Jalisha Smith. Steele connected on 3-of-5 from behind the arc recording nine points for the Panthers. Smith scored a season high nine points on 4-of-5 field goals. Smith also tallied four rebounds.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Vikings. Ashanti Abshaw had a team high 20 points while Mariah Miller and Jade Ely each added 14. Khayla Livingston and Olivia Voskuhl scored 12 apiece.

EIU will return home to Lantz Arena on Tuesday Dec. 5 to take on the Bradley Braves at 6 pm.