Box Score
CHARLESTON, ILL. - The Panthers lost to the top of the conference Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers played strong and battled with the OVC's best, but were not able to pull off a win. Eastern had three players score in the double digits with
Karle Pace,
Abby Wahl and
Lariah Washington. Pace and Wahl each finished with 18 points a pop. Washington finished her night with 14 points and seven rebounds. The Panthers fall to a record of 10-7 (4-2 OVC), and the Golden Eagles remain undefeated in conference competition with a 13-4 record (6-0 OVC).
Eastern was ready for TTU on Saturday, and played nose to nose against them in the first quarter.
Jennifer Nehls got EIU on the board with a jumper. Tech came right back and snatched the ball, finishing it off with a layup. The Panthers continued to hang with TTU and even ran up a six point lead in the first quarter. Wahl stood out offensively in the first as she had returned to the post weapon we had become accustomed to. Tech's Mackenzie Coleman and Wahl battled in the quarter as Coleman finished off with 10 points. Offensive rebounding was showing to be a concern for the Panthers, however the team stayed all tied up going into the second. At the end of the first, 14-14 tie.
The second quarter saw one of the best scorers in the OVC show out. Pace scored 9 points in the quarter including two three-pointers. Pace had racked up a team leading three assists at the end of the quarter as well. Nehls became more active on the boards finishing the half with four rebounds. The Panthers played well in the quarter, but were not able to contain the offensive juggernaut that is the Golden Eagles. TTU outscored the Panthers 24 to 16 in the second quarter. At half, the Golden Eagles lead 38-30. The Panthers have not won a game that they weren't leading at half.
The third quarter saw the Panthers come back ready to roll. Wahl and Pace each put up more points, and Washington joined in as well. Nehls continued to be a hustle rebounder and played with tenacity as she roped in four more board in the third.
Kira Arthofer and
Jordyn Hughes pushed the TTU guards to their limits as they hung on them up and down the court. The Panthers did, however, start to foul the opposition more. Tennessee Tech led 55-49 going into the final quarter.
The Panthers continued to play hard and never seemed like they were completely out of it, but the Golden Eagles had pulled to far away and managed to hold down the lead behind the 20 point outing from Kesha Brady. Tech got a lot of production from their bench. TTU's bench outscored the Panthers bench 20-5. The Panthers fall in a heart breaker, but it shows promise and shows that this team does have the pieces to compete against the best in the OVC.
The Panthers will be back at it against another top conference opponent in UT Martin on Thursday at 5:15.