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Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (11-13, 9-10 OVC) defeated the Southeast Missouri Redhawks (14-10, 12-7 OVC), 65-57 Thursday evening. The Panthers were led by an outstanding run in the third quarter, including a 24-6 run. The Panthers were led in scoring by
Lariah Washington, which ties her season-high, which came previously against SEMO. With this victory, the Panthers were able to clinch a berth in the OVC Tournament. Eastern Illinois will face the top team in the OVC in UT Martin at Lantz Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m.Â
QUICK STATSÂ
- Lariah Washington tied her season-high 24 points.
- Parker Stafford netted a career-high 8 points in today's game.
- The Panthers recorded 14 steals and forced the Redhawks into 22 turnovers.
- The Panthers held SEMO's bench scoreless in the game.
- The last time the Panthers held a team's bench scoreless was against SEMO in January.
- 28 points in a quarter tied the most points scored in a quarter this season by the Panthers (Western Illinois).
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
The Panthers sputtered out of the jump. Eastern Illinois was only able to muster up 6 points in the early quarter. Washington was able to lead the team with 4, along with Stafford, who had 2. The Panthers had their inside presence altered in the early goings by SEMO's star center Latrese Saine. Saine ended the quarter with four blocks. The Redhawks led the Panthers 11-6 going into the second quarter.
Eastern Illinois started to find their groove in the second quarter and managed to score 13 points in the quarter. The Redhawks continued to apply pressure in an attempt to run away with the lead. SEMO's Terri Smith caught fire from deep, hitting a couple of 3-pointers to give the Redhawks a 25-19 lead.Â
Out of the break, the Panthers started slow but hit their stride at the 6-minute mark. The Panthers defensive pressure allowed the offense to flow with ease. Eastern Illinois put up an astronomical 28 points in the quarter. The run was led by Washington, who finished with 14 points in the quarter. The Panthers had taken the lead for the first time with no signs of letting up. EIU led SEMO 47-37.
Eastern Illinois held the lead with a combined effort. Washington, Wahl, and Pace scored a combined 14 of the Panthers 18 points in the quarter. Smith of the Redhawks continued to knock down deep shots, but the Panthers' lead was too much to overcome. With tonight's 65-57 win over SEMO, the Panthers have clinched their second consecutive OVC Tournament appearance. This is the first time the Panthers have been to back-to-back OVC Tournaments since the 2014-2015 seasons.