NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (7-8, 5-5 OVC) outlasted the Tennessee State Tigers (0-10, 0-8 OVC) in Saturday's match up, 73-55. The Panthers were led by
Abby Wahl, who scored a career-high 34 points against the Tigers. A 25 point fourth quarter sealed the win for EIU. Along with Wahl's phenomenal day,
Morgan Litwiller shot 3-9 from beyond the arc and finished the game with 13 points, and recorded three blocks.
Kira Arthofer finished up her day with 11 points, three steals, and four assists on the day. The Panthers will face one of the top teams in the OVC in UT Martin in Martin, Tenn. on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m.
QUICK STATS
- Abby Wahl scored a career-high 34 points.
- Abby Wahl now has the second-most points in a game among active players (No. 1, Washington, 35 against Murray State).
- Morgan Litwiller tied her career-high in assists with five.
- Both teams recorded 16 turnovers; this is the first time this season the Panthers have had equal turnovers as their opponent.
- The Panthers tied their season-high with 46 points in the half (SIUE 12/18)
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
The Panthers and Tigers went back and forth in the opening quarter. The teams were nearly identical at the end of the first quarter, as both shot 54% from the floor, had two fouls, and recorded five assists. The Panthers grabbed six rebounds, one more than the Tigers, and six turnovers, again, one more than the Tigers. Wahl was off to a hot start in the game with a team-high 8 points. The Tigers led the Panthers, 19-17.
The Panthers came out gunning early on in the second; EIU scored 6-quick points and forced two turnovers. After a slow start from both teams out of the break, the Panthers started to find their rhythm. EIU out-rebounded the Tigers, 18-11 in the first half: a major factor in EIU's lead. Litwiller's back-to-back 3-pointers pushed Eastern Illinois ahead as they headed into the locker room for halftime. Panthers led, 33-28.
Eastern Illinois came out of the half sluggish, and the Tigers took advantage. The Panthers scored only 5 points before the halfway point of the third quarter. Eastern Illinois turned it around after the timeout and went back to basics. The Panthers fed Wahl in the post, and she did not let the team down. She finished the quarter with 10 points and gave the Panthers the lead heading into the final quarter, 48-45.
The Panthers came out with everything clicking early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers went on an early 7-0 run to push the lead to 60-49 going into the media timeout. TSU could not stop Wahl as she finished with 34 points and shot 82% from the field. The Panthers leave Nashville with a big win against TSU as EIU outlasted the Tigers, 73-55. The Panthers will face UT Martin on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m.