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CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois Women's Basketball defeated the Illinois Wesleyan Titans 83-54 in exhibition action at Lantz Arena on Wednesday night.

The Titans were able to hang with the Panthers early on, leading by as much as three in the first quarter.  The Panthers were able to close the gap with a 9-0 run, ultimately taking a 21-14 lead after the first quarter.  IWU outscored EIU 18-17 in the second quarter, but the Panthers were able to pull away, outscoring the Titans 45-22 in the second half to secure the exhibition win.

Kira Arthofer led the Panthers on the scoreboard with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting.  She also dished out five assists and recorded seven steals.  Lariah Washington and Abby Wahl each contributed 8 rebounds, as well as 15 and 12 points, respectively.  A couple of Panther freshmen showed what they had to offer, as Miah Monahan scored 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Julia Bengtson scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Panthers turned the Titans over 28 times and outscored IWU 33-12 in points off turnovers.  EIU also held a 62-16 advantage in points in the paint and a 20-6 advantage in fast break points.

EIU will play their regular season opener vs. Lindenwood at Lantz Arena next Tuesday.  Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm.