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CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball advanced to 6-0 on the season as the Panthers defeated the Wright State Raiders 96-67 on Monday night at Lantz Arena.  With the win, the Panthers continue their best start in 40 years.

"This team is getting better defensively,"  said head coach Matt Bollant.  "And today, we stepped up and made some outside shots.  When we're 7-for-12 from three, we're probably going to be pretty dangerous."

It was a battle in the early stages, as Wright State hit two of their first three shots to take an early 5-4 lead.  The Panthers seized control from that point forward, using a 16-3 run highlighted by seven of Miah Monahan's 11 first quarter points to take a 20-8 lead.  The Raiders hit a three to cut EIU's lead to 9, but Lariah Washington and Macy McGlone responded with back-to-back baskets to stretch the Panther lead back to 13.  Another Wright State three-pointer was followed by another Washington bucket before a converted four-point play by Wright State's Emily Chapman made it 26-18.  The Panthers continued to keep the Raiders at arms' length for the remainder of the period, ending the first quarter with a 30-21 lead. 

Washington immediately set the tone for the second period, scoring the first six points of the quarter to give EIU a 36-21 lead.  After a converted Wright State and-one opportunity, the Panthers would score six straight points once more to increase their advantage to 18.  Overall, the Panthers held the Raiders to just 3-of-13 shooting and outscored Wright State 25-8 in the second quarter to take a 55-29 lead into the half.  The Panthers shot 23-of-34 (67.6%) in the first half.  After Wright State scored the first five points of the third quarter, the Panthers outscored them 23-10 for the remainder of the period, capped by an Emily Meidel buzzer-beating three pointer which gave them a 78-44 lead entering the fourth quarter.  With the game in hand, EIU played subs for the entire fourth quarter and Wright State outscored the Panthers 23-18 in the final period to make the final margin 29.

Lariah Washington was once again the star of the night for the Panthers, scoring 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting.  She has now surpassed Sabina Oroszova for 15th on EIU's all-time leading scorers list.

"That's such a great honor,"  said Washington.  "My teammates, they get me the ball, so all thanks to them, and my coaches as well.  I couldn't do it without them."

Monahan set a new career high with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.  She also dished out five assists and recorded three rebounds.  McGlone recorded the first double-double of the season for EIU and the first one of her career, scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.  She also blocked a shot and set a new career-high with four steals.  Morgan Litwiller scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.  Julia Bengtson also recorded nine points and four rebounds.

Coming off the bench, Taris Thornton scored seven points and recorded four rebounds while Hannah Purcell had six points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot.  Emily Meidel and Haley Cameron each contributed with five points.

The Panthers hit 39-of-67 shots for the evening for a season-high 58.2 shooting percentage.  EIU outrebounded Wright State 43-21 and outscored the Raiders 24-4, 54-18 in points in the paint, and 19-0 in fast break points.

Up next, the Panthers will host an in-state foe in the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday, December 3.  Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM CT.