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Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Panthers (3-3) dominated their first matchup against the SIUE Cougars (2-3) with a 73-58 victory. Eastern Illinois 22 points in the third quarter and held SIUE to only 7 points on the quarter. EIU was able to hold their lead the entire game and SIUE never found an answer.
Abby Wahl recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Panthers will look to get another conference victory in their next game on Dec. 30 against Eastern Kentucky.
QUICK FACTS
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Abby Wahl records her fourth double-double; ties her for fifth-most in the OVC
* Panthers held the Cougars to seven attempts and zero field-goals made in the third quarter
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Jacqueline Maulucci scored her first-career field-goal in today's game
* This is the fourth time this season EIU has had four players score in double-digits
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
The Panthers and Cougars got off to a quick start in Friday's match-up. The veteran leaders Pace and Wahl got off to a quick start, leading the Panthers with 6-points apiece. SIUE stayed with the Panthers, but Eastern Illinois had the edge. The Panthers led at the end of the quarter: 14-11.
The Panthers found their rhythm in the middle of the second quarter as they found holes in the fast SIUE defense. Wahl neared closer to another double-double for the season. The run continued for Eastern Illinois as a momentum-swinging Pace three-pointer forced the hand of Coach Buscher as she called timeout. EIU shot 44% from the field in the second quarter, as opposed to 30% in the opening quarter. Panthers led 32-21.
Coming out of halftime the Panthers continued to run against the Cougars. Wahl fought hard against the posts of SIUE and won the battle more often than not. Wahl continued to pound in deep, scoring over and over in the Paint. Washington was a dominating factor in the third. SIUE was stunned by the intensity of the Panthers' defense. Nine turnovers plagued SIUE during the quarter, and the team could not put the ball in the basket, only scoring 7 points in the quarter. Panthers had dominated the third quarter; EIU led 54-28.
The Cougars came out with a new spark of intensity and forced
Kyley Simmons to call a quick timeout after guard,
Paige Schumann, was trapped in the corner. The Panthers continued to hold the lead in their possession as the final buzzer drew near.
Taylor Steele made a couple of quick shots to extend the lead and Brianna Mishler put up a nifty runner to grow it more. Coach Simmons brought the starters back in with four minutes left in the contest and after a few moments the freshman came in for EIU.
Jacqueline Maulucci scored her first-career-field-goal with a quick runner. She went on to score another layup and netted 6 points on the day. Panthers won 73-58.