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CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball cruised to a 68-44 win over the Southeast Missouri Redhawks on Saturday afternoon at Lantz Arena.  With the win, the Panthers now stand at 8-9 overall on the season and 3-3 in OVC conference play.

The Panthers started hot again, taking the early 7-2 lead, but SEMO managed to stay within striking distance throughout the first quarter.  Up 13-12 late in the period, a Lariah Washington converted and-one opportunity followed by a Taris Thornton layup gave the Panthers an 18-12 lead going into the second quarter.  After the Redhawks got the first bucket of the second period, EIU went on a 6-0 run to take a 24-14 lead.  After SEMO responded with a 6-0 run of their own, a converted and-one opportunity by Kira Arthofer sparked an 11-4 Panther run to end the half.

Up 38-26 early in the third quarter, 14 straight points from Washington for the Panthers would put EIU comfortably out front, 52-27.  SEMO never closed the deficit beyond 19 points and EIU cruised to victory from there.

Washington led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds and four assists.  The game marked her third 20-point effort of the season and her 14th double-digit scoring performance in 17 games this season.  Arthofer scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, dished out six assists, and recorded three steals.  The freshmen played a factor for EIU once again, as Thornton scored eight points and collected six rebounds, while Julia Bengtson scored seven points, dished out three assists, and recorded three steals.

EIU turned SEMO over 22 times and outscored the Redhawks 29-8 in points off turnovers.  The Panthers also shared the rock efficiently, recording 20 assists on 26 made shots.

Next up, the Panthers will head on the road to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in their second of three COVID makeup dates.  Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm CT.