CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball got off to a fast start and made a spectacular comeback attempt, but came up just short at home against the Murray State Racers on Thursday afternoon at Lantz Arena.
The Panthers got out to a fast start, taking a 14-5 lead behind nine points from
Julia Bengtson just over four minutes into the game. The Racers would respond with an 18-2 run to take a 23-16 lead after the first quarter. Murray State would maintain a double digit lead for the majority of the second and third quarters before the Panthers would flip the switch in the fourth. EIU turned up the defensive intensity and used a 15-4 run fueled primarily by Bengtson and
Taris Thornton to pull to within one. After a Racer bucket pushed the lead back to three,
Kira Arthofer made a layup to cut the lead back to one, but the team was ultimately unable to get over the hump as Murray State made two key layups and hit their free throws down the stretch to put EIU away.
In her second straight start and fifth of the season, Bengtson led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. She also recorded six rebounds and four assists, both career highs. The game was a coming-out party of sorts for Thornton, who set new career highs in both points (14) and rebounds (six) while also recording two assists and two steals, as her explosiveness on the offensive end and scrappiness on the defensive end played a major part in EIU's comeback attempt.Â
Jordyn Hughes also scored in double figures for the Panthers with 14.Â
Kira Arthofer had eight points, four rebounds, and three assists while
Miah Monahan and
Lariah Washington each scored seven. Washington also grabbed six rebounds.
Depth played a big part for EIU, as the Panthers outscored the racers 23-5 in bench points. Their 23 points off the bench are the most this season against a Division I opponent. EIU also outscored the Racers 40-38 in points in the paint.
The two teams will square off again when EIU travels to Murray, Kentucky on Thursday, January 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 pm CT.