HONOLULU, HI. -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball suffered their third loss in as many days in the University of Hawaii round robin tournament. The Panthers played their best game offensively of the tournament, but were defeated 93-77 by Utah on Sunday evening.
Much like the previous two games, the Panthers fell behind early as Utah scored the first 16 points of the game. After trailing 34-12 after the first quarter, the Panthers made an 11-3 run to begin the second period to pull to within 14. However, the Utes quickly responded with an 8-0 run before ultimately taking a 52-31 lead into the locker room at halftime. Despite the 16-point loss, the Panthers were able to outscore the Utes 46-41 in the second half.
Lariah Washington led the Panthers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, her sixth double-digit performance in seven games this season. Freshman
Julia Bengtson was once again a big-time factor off the bench, scoring a season-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. She also added four rebounds and two steals.Â
Jordyn Hughes contributed with a season-high 14 points, while
Kira Arthofer once again stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 11 points, dishing out five assists, grabbing three rebounds, and recording two steals.
The Panthers turned the Utes over 18 times and outscored Utah 24-19 in points off turnovers. EIU also outscored the Utes 34-32 in the paint and 9-7 in fast break points.
The Panthers will look to rebounds as they head to Macomb, Ill. for the Compass Tournament. Their first game of the tournament will be against the Salukis of Southern Illinois on Friday, December 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 pm.