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Box Score  |  Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)

CHARLESTON, ILL. - The women's basketball team nabbed a spot in the OVC tournament with a 66-46 victory over Murray State Thursday. This is the first time since the 2014-15 season that EIU has played in the OVC tournament. Taylor Steele led all scorers with a season-high 17 points to go along with her four rebounds and two steals. The Panthers pushed the Racers to their limits on offense, as Murray State shot 30% from the field. The Panthers record sits at 16-10 (10-5 OVC), while Murray State drops to 12-14 (5-10 OVC).

The Panthers struggled at the start of the game with Eastern only managing to score eight points through the quarter. Despite the struggles, EIU still kept the Racers humble, as they shot 37.5% on the quarter. The Panthers as a whole had a hard time getting their feet of the ground. Steele scored 5 points in the quarter, and Lariah Washington hit a three to keep Eastern in the game, but the team still couldn't get off the ground. Murray State's Alexis Burpo scored 11 points in the quarter and Laci Hawthorne wrangled in five rebounds to keep the Panthers down. Murray State led 14-8.

Eastern turned it around in the second quarter completely; scoring 24 and holding Murray State to 9 points. The entire offense stepped up as Abby Wahl and Morgan Litwiller each scored 5 points a piece. The Panthers still struggled to keep Hawthorne off the boards, but EIU continued to dominate on offense. The Panthers shot a blistering 53% from the field in the second quarter, and slowed the Racers offense to a halt; as they shot 27%. Taylor Steele continued to be a statement player going into halftime with 11 points. Panthers pulled ahead 32-23 going into halftime.

The Panthers came out of the break ready to roll. The offense continued to turn defense into offense; scoring 13 points off of Racers turnovers. Wahl continued to dig in and put up points down low. Wahl netted 9 points by the end of the third quarter. Hawthorne had already come down with a double-double, but her efforts were falling short as Eastern was holding their lead. Panthers led going into the final quarter 46-35.

Karle Pace returned to for as she nailed a three to push the lead to a greater margin. Pace ended with 14 points, 8 of which came in the fourth quarter. Steele continued her success as well; putting up 6 points in the fourth. Washington and Wahl each finished up the game in double-digits with 11 points a pop, and Kira Arthofer put up eight assists for the second time in a month. The Panthers outscored the Racers 20-11 in the final quarter and punched their ticket to the postseason OVC tournament. Panthers won 66-46.

The Panthers return for senior night against Austin Peay on Saturday. Jennifer Nehls will be recognized for her contributions to the team before the game.