The Panthers returned to their home court after a crushing, two-point defeat to Tennessee Tech University three days prior. The loss gave Tennessee Tech a spot in the three-way tie for second place, a race that Eastern is also entangled in.
The Panthers looked to retake their position as second-best in the Ohio Valley Conference in a match against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars who are last in the OVC.
This critical, late-season game happened to fall on senior night where forward Emily Meidel and forward Hannah Purcell were honored.
Purcell made her presence known by hitting a three in the first seconds of the game. Her three was followed by another from fellow senior Miedel, putting the score at 6-2.
This lead was uncharacteristic of the game as a whole. SIUE kept in toe with the Panthers until well after the half, as the game was tied 41-41 with 5:30 left in the third.
Eastern was able to break away, with junior forward Macy McGlone leading the charge. McGlone scored 12 in the third, getting her 24th double-double of the season.
“I knew we just needed to score some points, and that’s one of my biggest jobs,” McGlone said. “I figured I might as well be the one to do it.”
Regarding the double-double, McGlone said she was content with the stat. She noted she sees it as a sign she’s doing a good job, and nothing more.
The team scored 26 points in the third, making it 56-47 going into the fourth.
The Panthers immediately continued their success. In the first ten seconds of the fourth quarter, junior forward Taris Thorton recorded her third steal, followed by her second fastbreak.
“You want to set the tone in the fourth quarter, a steal and a layup is a good way to do it,” head coach Matt Bollant said.
Eastern scoring continued, coasting to a 14-point win over the Cougars 80-66.
“Proud of our team, good win tonight, good way to send our seniors out,” Bollant said.
Back in the first, the Cougars caught up with Eastern after the Panthers 6-2 start. The game was 11-9 in SIUE’s favor when Thorton stopped Eastern’s scoring drought with a fastbreak. This tied the game 11-11 with two minutes left in the first.
Two free throws from junior guard Miah Monahan ended the first quarter with the Panthers up 17-15.
The second quarter saw similar parity between the teams.
Neither squad could get more than a two-point lead until the middle of the quarter. Eastern was able to pull ahead with a Monahan three, giving the team a five-point lead. The three put the score at 26-21.
SIUE mounted a comeback until McGlone tied the game 30-30 with a minute remaining before the half. SIUE later made three with two seconds left in the half, putting the score at 33-30 going into halftime.
The beginning of the third had a similar theme to the first half. Back-and-forth scoring between the two teams continued until McGlone’s comeback push.
The Panther win put Eastern in second in the OVC, but the other teams previously tied for second place, Tennessee Tech and the University of Tennessee at Martin, have not played their 17th conference game. Both teams will play on Thursday.
Eastern will also play again on Thursday, traveling across the state to Western Illinois. The game will take place on Feb. 29 at 5 p.m.
Aidan Cusack can be reached at 581-2812 or at pfschmitz@eiu.edu.
