Tweet #LOYALandTRUE

EVANSVILLE, IND -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball survived 67-62 in overtime on the road against the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles.  With the win, the Panthers have surpassed their overall win total from a season ago, improving to 17-3 overall and 9-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

"It's not always pretty,"  said head coach Matt Bollant.  "To have three road games in a row was a really tough schedule, and we found a way today."

USI's Vanessa Shafford scored the first five points of the game before a Lyric Johnson layup got EIU's offense going, sparking a 13-2 panther run.  After back-to-back exchanges of baskets, the Panthers went up 17-11 at the end of the first quarter.  Up 19-13 early in the second period, Taris Thornton hit a three-pointer to put EIU up 9.  Foul trouble then began to mount up for the Panthers in the second quarter as five players in EIU's rotation found themselves with two first half fouls.  USI used a 6-0 run to pull to within 23-20 midway through the quarter before some quality minutes from EIU's reserves allowed the Panthers to answer with a 6-0 run of their own.  Not going away, the Screaming Eagles would end the half on a 7-0 run to make it a two-point game at halftime.

After USI tied the game up at 31 early in the third, the Panthers responded once again, using a 7-2 run capped by four straight Morgan Litwiller free throws to take a 38-33 lead.  The Panthers were once again unable to stretch it out any further, as USI tied the game at 39 going into the fourth quarter.  The Screaming Eagles continued to attack to begin the fourth quarter, as a Hannah Haithcock layup to give USI the lead was followed by another Shafford three-pointer to put EIU in a five-point hole with 9:12 remaining.  In a sign of things to come, Miah Monahan came up with a clutch jumper from the elbow to cut it to three, but another Shafford three made it a six-point margin.  After being saddled with foul trouble for much of the first three quarters, Macy McGlone came alive, hitting one layup, and then another one after two Litwiller free throws to tie the game up at 47.  The Panthers pushed the run to 11-0 after a Lariah Washington three-pointer was followed by a Monahan steal and another McGlone layup to give EIU a five-point lead with just under four minutes remaining.  At the other end, Shafford sank another three-pointer that she hoisted up as the shot clock was expiring to pull USI back to within two.  After a Thornton layup, another Shafford three followed by a converted and-one by Meredith Raley put EIU in a two-point hole with 1:24 to go.  After the Panthers failed to come up with the equalizer despite back-to-back offensive rebounds from McGlone, USI got the ball with 52 seconds remaining, but Monahan came up with a clutch steal and layup to tie it up at 56.  After Shafford's subsequent layup came off the front of the rim, Washington's jumper at the buzzer rimmed out, sending the game into overtime.

Monahan got EIU on the board first into overtime, but Shafford once again responded, tying the game at 60.  After a McGlone layup was answered by a Haithcock layup, the game became knotted up at 60 with 1:24 to go.  After Washington converted two free throws, Monahan once again proved clutch, coming up with another steal-and-score to put EIU up 64-60 with 47 seconds remaining.  Washington and Monahan were able to make the free throws in the waning seconds to put the game on ice for the Panthers.

Washington led EIU with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and a season-high five steals.  Monahan scored 12 points to go along with five rebounds and had three steals. 

McGlone and Litwiller both finished with 10 points and had eight and five rebounds, respectively.  Thornton contributed with nine points and six rebounds while Lyric Johnson had five points and seven rebounds.  Hannah Purcell had three points and four rebounds, while Haley Cameron and Julia Bengtson came off the bench in the second quarter to provide quality minutes with multiple Panthers in foul trouble. 

EIU outrebounded the top rebounding team in the OVC 47-31 and forced 20 Screaming Eagle turnovers.

Up next, the Panthers will return home for a matchup with the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks on Saturday, January 28 at 1 PM CT.