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EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- For the second consecutive game, this time in the OVC semifinals, EIU established a fourth quarter lead but failed to close out, losing another 66-61 contest to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.  With the loss, the Panthers drop to 21-8 overall on the season. 

"We turned the ball over some, and missed some good shots that we had, and just didn't respond down the stretch."  said head coach Matt Bollant.  "Give them credit.  They got the momentum going and we just couldn't get a stop there in the fourth quarter."

After Morgan Litwiller got the scoring started, it became a game of runs, just as it was in the game at Lantz Arena last Saturday.  TTU went on an 11-0 run which was followed by a 9-0 Panther run, which was then followed by a 7-0 Golden Eagle run.  After a converted and-one opportunity from Miah Monahan, TTU got the last bucket of the period to make it 20-14.  EIU made the next run, going on an 8-0 stretch that was highlighted by back-to-back Taris Thornton buckets to make it 22-20.  Later in the period, with EIU up 31-29, Tech went 1-of-2 at the line, the Panthers attempted to drive for the last shot, but Lariah Washington turned the ball over and then committed a foul, allowing TTU to take a 32-31 halftime lead following two made free throws and a Lyric Johnson three at the buzzer that was off line.

Back-to-back buckets from Monahan and Macy McGlone gave EIU a 35-32 lead to begin the second half, but the Golden Eagles responded once more, using an 8-0 run to go up 40-35.  The Panthers once again found an answer, using a 16-6 run to end a third quarter that saw 10 points from McGlone with a 51-46 advantage.  EIU kept up the momentum to begin the fourth quarter, as six straight points from Washingon and two McGlone free throws made it 59-49 with 6:10 remaining.  However, as was the case against TTU last Saturday, EIU was unable to close out.  After a 10-0 Tech run closed the gap, two missed Litwiller free throws were followed by a TTU foul on the rebound, allowing Washington to hit a jumper to put EIU back up 61-59 with 2:52 left to play.  After Tennessee Tech found the equalizer on the other end, their full court press forced a Panther turnover and subsequent free throws put EIU in a 63-61 hole with 1:53 remaining.  After a 3-second violation on McGlone, EIU got one more chance to tie it following an illegal screen on TTU, but Washington was unable to hit on a jump shot and TTU made a driving layup on the other end with 24 seconds to go that effectively put the game away.

Washington and McGlone were the leaders of the night for the Panthers, scoring 20 and 21 points, respectively.  McGlone also had 11 rebounds, giving her four double-doubles on the year. 

"Going into this game, me and Macy knew that we had to play a good game."  said Washington.  "... But we wanted to win more than anything, so even though we played a decent game, we didn't get the result we wanted."

Litwiller and Monahan each had eight points and four rebounds with Litwiller leading the team with four assists.  Thornton contributed four points.  For the first time all season, EIU did not have a single bench point.

Despite the loss, EIU outscored TTU 44-24 in the paint.

The Panthers will now have to wait and see about a potential postseason birth.  If Little Rock defeats Tennessee Tech in tomorrow's OVC Tournament Final, then the Panthers will receive an automatic bid to the WNIT.