EDWARDSVILLE, ILL -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball saw their 13-game winning streak snapped with a 82-77 road loss to the SIUE Cougars on Saturday afternoon. With the result, the Panthers drop to 20-4 overall and 13-1 in OVC play, falling into a tie with Little Rock for first place.
"Just give them credit."Â said head coach
Matt Bollant. "They had an attack mentality and we struggled to guard and get stops."
The first quarter was a game of runs as the Panthers got out to the fast start, beginning the game on a 9-0 run. SIUE quickly countered with a 7-0 run of their own before EIU responded with a 13-0 run that saw four different Panthers get into the scoring column. SIUE hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 22-10 going into the second quarter. The Panthers kept the Cougars at arms' length for the first half of the second period, as
Ellie Colson once again provided solid minutes off the bench with both
Macy McGlone and
Hannah Purcell in foul trouble, converting on an and-one opportunity to make it 32-18. Things then began to shift however, as SIUE used a 14-1 run to close the gap to a single point. The Panthers answered again, as
Miah Monahan scored five straight points and
Lariah Washington answered a Cougar with back-to-back buckets of her own to make it 42-34, but an SIUE converted and-one opportunity made it 42-37 at halftime.
Both teams kept things close throughout the third quarter, with SIUE converting on another and-one opportunity to tie the game up at 46 midway through the period and hitting a three to take a 55-53 lead with 1:29 left in the quarter. Washington hit a jumper from the free throw line to tie it up heading into the final period. It was another game of runs in the fourth quarter, as SIUE began the period on a 10-4 run to take a 65-61 lead with just over seven minutes to go. Not quitting, the Panthers used a 9-0 run highlighted by a converted and-one opportunity from
Morgan Litwiller to take a 70-65 lead with 4:22 left. SIUE would have the last run however, as a 14-2 run gave them a 79-72 lead with 24 seconds left, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Litwiller led the team with 19 points and set a new career high with seven assists. McGlone had 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds. Monahan finished with 13 points and five assists while Washington had 13 points and six rebounds. Colson scored a season-high five points and
Lyric Johnson had four points and four rebounds.
Free throws played a major part in the outcome, as EIU went 18-of-29 from the line, with their 11 misses being the most of any game this season. From the field, the Panthers shot 50%, hitting 27 of 54 shots. The Panthers were outscored in the paint for just the third time this season, with SIUE holding a 38-36 advantage in that area.
EIU will look to rebound next Thursday as they head back on the road to take on the Southeast Missouri Redhawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 PM.