Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Eastern Illinois out-rebounded host Morehead State by 20 on Thursday night and used that advantage to double up the Eagles on second-chance points as the Panthers topped the Eagle women's basketball team 80-75 in Johnson Arena.
The Eagles fell to 17-8 and 10-4 in the league with their second straight OVC loss. EIU avenged an earlier loss to MSU in January at home by improving to 13-11 and 8-5 in OVC contests.
"The stats say it all," said MSU coach Tom Hodges. "When you get out-rebounded by 20, it's really hard to win. I felt like EIU was very scrappy and they took it to us. You look at the points in the paint, 44-16. Those are hard things to overcome."
MSU senior
Chynna Bozeman scored 18 points, leaving her just one shy of 2,000 for her career, while
Courtney Lumpkin led MSU with 22 points. Freshman
Terrice Robinson lifted the Eagles to a first- half 39-36 lead by scoring 10 of her career-high 13 in the opening 20 minutes.
EIU sophomore guard Ta'Kenya Nixon was a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line to score a game- best 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Mariah King netted 24 points and nine rebounds as the Panthers out-boarded MSU 49-29. Ashar Harris did pull down a game-high 12 boards for MSU, her 19th game of more than 10 rebounds.
EIU outscored the host Eagles 18-9 in second chance points and had a 44-16 advantage in points in the paint. Just like the first meeting the teams, the lead changed hands often. There were 13 lead changes and nine ties.
The Eagles looked good in the start, racing out to a 17-8 lead in the first five minutes. But, EIU scored the next 11 to take its first lead, 19-17, with 10:49 left in the opening half. There were six ties in the final 10 minutes of the first half before Lumpkin used the glass to bury a three-pointer with one second left to give her team the 39-36 halftime lead.
The Eagles held a 68-67 lead with 5:00 minutes left in the final half after Lumpkin's trey, but the Panthers effectively won the game in the next three minutes as they went on a 8-0 run, capped by Sydney Mitchell's three-pointer at 2:57.
The Eagles will host Southeast Missouri on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5:07 p.m. EST as the game will air live on Wazoo Sports.
