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CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball fell to the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech 72-67. The Panthers led had the lead in the game for nearly 30 minutes, but the third quarter troubles reared their ugly head once more. The Panthers held TTU to 28 points in the first half, but let up 44 in the second half. Morgan Litwiller and Lariah Washington each had great days for EIU. Litwiller score 17 points, collected six rebounds and tallied a career-high five assists. Washington netted a game-high 21 points along with her six rebounds. The Panthers fall to 3-5 overall (1-2 OVC), while the Golden Eagles move up to 4-2 overall (2-1 OVC). The Panthers will face Murray State next on Thursday, Jan. 8.

QUICK STATS

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
Panthers and Golden Eagles went back and forth in a defensive battle in the first quarter. The Panthers played great team defense against one of the better offensive teams in the OVC. Early fouls on Mackenzie Coleman allowed Eastern to keep the Golden Eagles at bay. The Panthers led 23-19.

Eastern Illinois had Tennessee Tech frazzled early in the second quarter. The Golden Eagles couldn't find their momentum while the Panthers had turned it on, and the fast break offense thrived. Litwiller led the Panthers in scoring with 11 points, 9 of which coming off three-pointers. The Panthers went into halftime with a 36-28 lead. 

The Panthers started the third quarter with some great momentum, but the Golden Eagles managed to get back into the quarter towards the end. Holding halftime leads continues to be something the Panthers will need to work on. Mackenzie Coleman gave the Golden Eagles their first lead, but the Panthers fought back and tied the game up. Eastern Illinois managed to retain the lead going into the fourth quarter. The Panthers led 52-51.

The fourth quarter remained more of the same: closely contested. The Panthers and Golden Eagles went back and forth, but neither team could pull too far away. Washington showed her clutch abilities on offense, as she scored 10 points in the final quarter. The Golden Eagles made three consecutive 3-pointers and regained the lead: 67-63. The seconds narrowed down, and the Panthers were forced to foul. Coach Bollant took a timeout to get a quick game plan for the final 24 seconds of the game. The Panthers couldn't recover that lead after the tough third quarter. The Panthers fell 72-67.