TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Eastern Illinois Women's Basketball went on the road and defeated the Indiana State Sycamores 64-55. With the win, the Panthers improve to 2-0 on the young season.
It was a tight, defensive battle early on between the Panthers and the Sycamores as the two teams fought to a 10-10 tie after the first quarter. The second quarter saw
Jordyn Hughes and
Morgan Litwiller combine for 11 points for the Panthers as EIU took a 25-24 lead before a three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Sycamores a 27-25 halftime lead.
Despite more offense early in the second half, neither team was able to get much separation in the third quarter.Â
Kira Arthofer and
Abby Wahl each scored six points in the period as the game was tied 44-44 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers seized control as they began the period with a 10-2 run capped off by a
Julia Bengtson three-pointer to take a 54-46 lead. EIU led by as many as 12 in the 4th quarter and withstood a late ISU surge to get their first ever win in Terre Haute.
Wahl led the Panthers with 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and eight rebounds, both team highs. Arthofer scored a career-high 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half, on 5-of-8 shooting from the field to go along with seven assists, four steals, and three rebounds.Â
Lariah Washington added 11 while Hughes contributed ten.
The Panthers' defense was effective and unrelenting as EIU turned the Sycamores over 25 times and scored 25 points off those turnovers. EIU also outscored ISU 32-30 in points in the paint and 12-9 in fast break points.
With her scoring output for the evening, Wahl has surpassed 900 points for her career. At 907 career points, she is just 93 away from becoming the 26th 1,000 point career scorer in EIU school history.
Next up, the Panthers return home for a match against Evansville on Saturday, November 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm.