MARTIN, TENN -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball won a back-and-forth shootout on the road against UT Martin. The win marks EIU's first win in Martin since January 24, 2009. With the victory, the Panthers improve to 9-10 overall on the season and 4-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The Skyhawks went up 9-5 early before back-to-back threes by
Morgan Litwiller set the tone for the contest offensively for the Panthers. EIU hit five threes as a team in the first quarter, ending the period with a 19-18 lead. The game's seesaw nature continued into the second quarter, as the game saw seven lead changes in the period before an
Abby Wahl layup gave EIU a 33-31 lead lead with 40 seconds on the clock. A UT Martin three-pointer gave the Skyhawks a one-point advantage at halftime.
The two teams continued to battle closely early in the third quarter, as a Wahl jumper followed by two
Lariah Washington free throws gave EIU a 42-39 lead. However, the Skyhawks began to seize the momentum with a 9-1 run to take a 48-43 lead with about three minutes to go in the period. A Wahl putback layup cut the lead to three, before a UT Martin three-pointer gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the game at six. The Panthers were not about to go away however, as a 7-2 run to conclude the quarter that was capped by a
Miah Monahan three-pointer made it a one-point contest heading into what would be a thrilling fourth quarter finish.Â
After UTM hit the first bucket of the quarter to widen the gap to three, a Washington three-pointer tied things up at 55. The two teams traded blows before yet another UT Martin three-pointer put the Skyhawks up 64-61. After Litwiller hit two free throws to cut the lead to one, a converted and-one opportunity by UT Martin put the Panthers in a 67-63 hole with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. But once again, this Panther team did not quit. A 7-0 run that consisted of a
Jordyn Hughes jumper, followed by yet another Litwiller three-pointer, which was followed by a Washington jumper, gave EIU a 70-67 lead. After yet another UT Martin three tied things up at 70, Washington put the Panthers up again with a turnaround jump shot. After the Skyhawks tied it once again with two made free throws, Litwiller sank her seventh three-pointer of the game to give EIU a 75-72 lead with just over a minute remaining. It then became a game of free throws, as EIU was able to make it a 78-74 game with nine seconds to go. One more three-pointer from UT Martin made it a 1-point game with 3 seconds to go, before a foul on Washington was ultimately ruled an intentional foul on replay review, giving the Panthers two free throws and possession of the ball. Washington went 1-for-2 from the line, but Litwiller was subsequently fouled and capped off her amazing night with two huge free throws to effectively put the game on ice. UT Martin's final three pointer fell short and EIU ultimately won the game, 81-77.
Litwiller finished with a career-high 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. Her seven made threes tied the EIU school record for most made three-pointers by one player in a single game. Litwiller also contributed with six rebounds, four of which were on the offensive end. Wahl scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds. Washington scored 16 points, dished out a career-high seven assists, and also recorded six rebounds.Â
Kira Arthofer scored five points, dished out five assists, and recorded two steals. Hughes, Monahan, and
Taris Thornton all chipped in with five points apiece.
The Panthers outscored the Skyhawks 28-18 in points in the paint and 38-9 in bench points. They continued to share the ball effectively, recording 21 assists on 28 made shots. They outrebounded UT Martin 29-27, making them 7-0 on the season when outrebounding their opponent.
Next up, the Panthers will return home to host the Tennessee State Lady Tigers on Saturday, January 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 pm CT.