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Eastern Illinois contested a last second 3-pointer by UT Martin that came up short as the Panthers remained unbeaten in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 51-48 win on Thursday night at the Elam Center.
EIU moved to 10-6 overall, 7-0 in the OVC while UTM fell to 6-12 overall, 3-4 in the OVC.
EIU jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening quarter only to see UT Martin use an 8-0 run to take control and hold the lead through the opening moments of the fourth quarter.
The Skyhawks led 30-25 at the half with EIU knotting the score at 36-36 after three quarters of play.
Lalani Ellis gave the Panthers the lead with a jumper in the lane with 8:19 to play sparking a key 7-0 run by EIU.
Macy McGlone scored the final four points of the run as she posted her 39th career double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds.Â
Shae Littleford snapped the Panthers run with a three-point play as she scored 11 points, one of two Skyhawks in double figures. Anaya Brown led UTM with 13 points.
The Skyhawks cut the margin to three with 39 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Lexi Rubel. EIU turned the ball over on its next possession and had its defense hold up and force a contested three that came up short at the buzzer.
Sydney-James Desroches had ten points in the opening half to keep the Panthers in the game in the first twenty minutes of action. EIU finished with a 35-28 rebound advantage.