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Box Score  |  Photo Gallery by Sandy King

CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Panthers took on the Omaha Mavericks on Saturday afternoon and showed up with a purpose. The Panthers never left the driver's seat, after scoring 23 points in the first quarter, and holding the Mavs to only 10. Lariah Washington scored a career-high 18 points off of 60% shooting, and pulled in six boards for EIU. Morgan Litwiller also had a career-high 9 points coming off of the bench for the Panthers. Karle Pace tied Washington for the most rebound by the Panthers with six, and managed 14 points, all of which came in the first half of play. EIU moves up to 5-3, while UNO falls to a 4-6 record.

The Panthers started off the game scorching hot, shooting 66.7% on the quarter. The Mavs couldn't control the ball, as they ended the quarter with six quick turnovers. Eastern capitalized on UNO's mistakes, socring 10 points off of the turnovers. Washington led all scorers through the first with 8 points while shooting perfect from the field (3-3).  Sophie Johnston of the Mavericks was the teams leading scorer with 3 points. Panthers led 23-10.

The second quarter saw more of the same from the Panthers, while UNO managed to get into a groove. Eastern finished the quarter with 19 points, while the Mavs scored 18. UNO saw much of their success coming off of the bench, whereas the Panthers starters continued to stay hot. Pace was the leading scorer going into the half with 12 points and four rebounds. EIU pushed their lead to 42-28.

Coming out of halftime, the Panthers looked poised and led by 14 points. The Panthers continued their dominance, shooting 54.5% from the field in the quarter. Morgan Litwiller came alive to score 7 points for EIU and kept their lead safe. Litwiller went 3-4 for the quarter, including a momentum swinging three-pointer. UNO sputtered, shooting an abysmal 25% from the field. Panthers led 56-38 heading into the final quarter of play.

EIU had their worst quarter shooting the ball in the fourth, but had managed to build a lead that stopped the Mavs from stampeding back. Washington carried the load as she went 3-7 from the field in the quarter. UNO finished the game with 20 turnovers, while EIU had 17. The freshman duo each ended with career-highs in points, with Paige Schumann getting into the mix as well with 3 points.

The Panthers will take the next week off in preparation for the Compass Tournament on Dec. 19.