EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (4-7, 2-4 OVC) snapped a four-game losing-streak early Monday afternoon. The Panthers grabbed a pivotal victory against the SIUE Cougars (4-5, 1-3 OVC) and will look to continue this momentum into Thursday's game against Morehead State.
Karle Pace led the Panthers in scoring with 20 points and moved up to the 16th spot in career-scoring at Eastern Illinois. The Panthers will return to Lantz Arena to take on Morehead State on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 4:30 p.m.
QUICK STATS
- Pace moves into third place in career-3-point field goals made.
- Pace moves to No. 16 in career-scoring with 1,250 points; passing Lisa Tyler.
- Alana Vinson scored a career-high 4 points.
- Litwiller hit a career-high five 3-pointers
- Arthofer recorded a career-high 8 rebounds
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
Eastern Illinois and SIUE started off to a sloppy start in the first few minutes of the game. The Cougars were turnover-prone right from the start. They finished the quarter with six turnovers. The Panthers were led in scoring by Washington, who nailed a 3-pointer to end the quarter. The Panthers led, 16-9.
Mikayla Kinnard and Ajulu Thatha led the Cougars charge to pull back within two points, forcing Coach Bollant to call a timeout to figure out a game plan. The Panthers came out of the break running a solid play to get Pace an open 3-pointer. Pace knocked down another 3-pointer to pass her former teammate Grace Lennox for the 19th spot in career-points in Eastern Illinois history. Pace wasn't finished scoring yet, as she nailed her third 3-pointer of the day. The Panthers led the Cougars, 30-23 going into halftime.Â
Eastern Illinois came out of the halftime break with intensity;
Morgan Litwiller hit a 3-pointer out of the halftime-break to start the Panthers off strong.
Kira Arthofer followed up with two quick layups to give Eastern Illinois their largest lead of the game. Litwiller was unconscious from beyond the arc, hitting 4-4 3-pointers in the quarter. Eastern Illinois led, 50-37.
The Panthers were off to a slow start in the fourth quarter, but EIU made the adjustments necessary and played some phenomenal team basketball.
Jordyn Hughes hit her third shot of the day to secure the Panthers' lead. Coach Bollant brought in the freshman to get them some needed time off of the bench. The starters were brought back into the game to secure the much-needed victory. The Panthers won, 77-65.