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CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball defeated the Lindenwood Lions 86-30 in their regular season opener at Lantz Arena on Tuesday night.

EIU came out firing on all cylinders, scoring the game's first 17 points.  The Panthers played smothering defense early on, as the Lions did not hit their first field goal until there was 3:19 remaining in the first quarter.  The Panthers held the Lions to just 5 points in both the first and second quarter as EIU took a 45-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.  The Panthers did not let up, outscoring the Lions 41-20 in the second half to secure the 56-point win.

Lariah Washington was the star of the night for EIU, as the junior made her first eight shots from the field and ultimately finished with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting.  Jordyn Hughes contributed 13 points and six rebounds.  Parker Stafford scored six points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while Kira Arthofer scored six points, dished out five assists, and grabbed four steals.

Freshmen were once again a factor for the Panthers, as Miah Monahan scored eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field and Taris Thornton scored 10 points and grabbed three steals.  Julia Bengtson also contributed with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

The Panthers turned Lindenwood over 29 times and scored 39 points off the turnovers.  EIU also outscored Lindenwood 52-12 in points in the paint and 31-2 in terms of fast break points.

Next up, the Panthers head on the road to take on the Indiana State Sycamores on Wednesday, November 17.  Tipoff is scheduled for 5 pm.