Photo Gallery | By Sandy King
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (11-14, 9-11 OVC) fell 69-63 to the top of the OVC, UT Martin (18-4, 17-2 OVC). A tough second half, especially the fourth quarter, where EIU only scored 4 points.
Lariah Washington led the Panthers with 17 points on 50% shooting from the field. The Panthers also honored their three seniors,
Karle Pace,
Taylor Steele, and
Grace McRae before the tip of today's game. Pace finished with 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half.
Taylor Steele scored 9 points and recorded two steals. McRae scored 4 points, snagged two boards, and recorded an assist.
QUICK STATS
- The Panthers bench outscored UTM's, 12-10.
- The Panthers scored 26 points in the first quarter of today's game.
- Abby Wahl scored 6 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
- Eastern Illinois' 4 points in a quarter is the lowest total in a quarter this season.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
The Panthers started as hot as ever at the beginning of the game. Pace scored 7 in the first quarter of play to lead the team. Steele scored 5 points as well, and Washington put up 6 points. The Panthers' offense was firing on all cylinders, as they led the Skyhawks 26-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Eastern Illinois offense stayed hot entering the second quarter, but UT Martin's Dasia Young found her rhythm and scored 14 points in the quarter. Pace kept pace, scoring another 7 points in the quarter to keep the team ahead. Steele added 4 points to her daily total to put her at 9 points. The Panthers held a solid 45-36 lead heading into halftime.
The Skyhawks and Panthers went blow-for-blow in the third quarter. Each team scored 14 points, as Washington led the way for EIU. The Skyhawks were led by Young and Paige Pipkin, who combined for 13 of the 14 points. The Panthers held the lead 59-50 heading into the final quarter.
Eastern Illinois couldn't find the bottom of the basket in the pivotal final quarter of play. EIU scored 4 points in the quarter and let up 19 for UTM to take the lead and ultimately the game. Washington continued to will the ball into the basket, scoring all 4 points for EIU, but the Panthers couldn't stop the Skyhawks' offense. The Panther fell, 69-63, in the final regular game of the season. The Panthers will face UT Martin again on Wednesday, Mar. 3, at 1 p.m. in the OVC Tournament.