HONOLULU, HI. -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball was defeated 71-50 by the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Friday evening in their first game of the University of Hawaii round robin tournament. With the loss, the Panthers drop to 4-1 on the season.
Hawaii seized control early, scoring the first 10 points of the game before ending the first quarter with a 20-8 lead. After falling behind 29-10 in the second quarter, the Panthers were able to close the gap with a 14-2 run, highlighted by 6 points apiece from
Abby Wahl and
Julia Bengtson. After the Rainbow Wahine hit a shot with 1 second to go in the second quarter, the Panthers went into the locker room down 33-24.
Lariah Washington hit two free throws to get the scoring started in the second half, but the Panthers were unable to get any closer, as Hawaii outscored EIU 38-26 in the second half to send the Panthers to their first loss of the 2021-22 season.
Bengtson led EIU with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting for her second straight double-digit performance off the bench. She also recorded three steals.Â
Lariah Washington scored 10 points for her fifth double-digit performance in as many games this season. Wahl scored nine points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Panthers were able to turn Hawaii over 21 times and outscore the Rainbow Wahine 13-8 in fast break points.
The Panthers will play their next game of the tournament against Gonzaga on Saturday, November 27. Tipoff is set for 4 pm CT.