Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-7, 1-4 OVC) fell to the No. 1 ranked OVC team, Austin Peay (7-2, 5-0). The stout defense of the Governors caused the Panthers fits early on in the game, and although EIU fought valiantly, they were unable to snap their losing streak.
Abby Wahl led the Panthers in scoring for the second game-in-a-row with 19 on the day. The Panthers will travel to SIUE on Monday, Jan. 11, to face the Cougars at 1 p.m.
QUICK STATS
- The last time the Panthers lost four-in-a-row was 2018-19
- The Panthers bench were outscored, 45-5; the largest margin this season
- Kira Arthofer tied her career-high in points with 12 against the Governors
- 20 turnovers is the most in a conference game this season
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
Austin Peay ran their hardy defense against the Panthers early on in the game, and it proved to be as good as advertised. The Panthers struggled to get any sort of run going against the stout defense of the Governors. Wahl ended the quarter with 7 points. The Panthers managed to get some much-needed help off the bench in the form of
Taylor Steele and
Jordyn Hughes. Austin Peay held the lead, 19-11.
The Panthers came roaring back in the second quarter. EIU scored 18 points in comparison to Austin Peay's 14, but the Governors were still able to hold the 33-29 lead going into halftime. Wahl put up another 9 points in the second quarter putting her point total at 16 points early on in the game. The bench combo of Hughes and Steele both played valuable minutes for the Panthers but were unable to score much for EIU. A good second quarter showed promise going into the second half.
The Panthers battled well against the No. 1 team in the OVC coming out of halftime.
Lariah Washington and
Karle Pace each score 6 points and kept EIU in the game. Eastern Illinois shot 86% from the field in the third quarter but were still unable to come away with the lead. The Governors were able to convert on the Panthers' mistakes which allowed Austin Peay to hold a 53-48 lead going into the final quarter.
Eastern Illinois battled in the fourth quarter; the team was never out of the game. Washington led the Panthers in scoring in the final quarter with 9 points making her total 17 points. EIU fell 77-68 to the No. 1 ranked team in the OVC to push their losing-streak to four-in-a-row. The Panthers will face SIUE on the road Monday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m.Â