MACOMB, Ill. - Down seven midway
through the second half Western Illinois battled back and used Ashley Luke's jumper with 57 seconds remaining to take the lead for good, then a
late steal in the final seconds to secure a 70-68 win over in-state rival
Eastern Illinois in Western Hall on Monday (Dec. 17). The win was the fourth in
the last five games for the Fighting Leathernecks, and marks Western's first
win over the Panthers since December 7, 2000.
Down by seven at the half, the
Leatherneck (5-5 overall) offense returned to the court on fire, outdoing the
Panthers 11-2 to take its first lead of the second half. The charge was sparked
by Michelle Maher, Saule Kontautaite and Michele Salvatori 3-pointers as well as two free throws from Luke.
Eastern responded by going on an
8-0 run and extending its lead back to seven with 15 minutes remaining. Over
the final six minutes it was all Western, holding the Panthers - a team it lost
to last year in Charleston by 33 points - to just two points down the stretch.
Western eventually tied the game with 3:38 left in regulation with a Maher
layin.
The Panthers (5-5) regained the
advantage on a Kelsey Wyss jumper, but a Reed layup knotted the contest once
again. With 57 seconds left on the clock, Luke hit the eventual game-winner.
Jordyne Crunk missed a lay-up with 42 seconds left, then Western with eight
seconds left following a missed basket saw Kontautaite cause a turnover
following an EIU rebound. She knocked it into the hands of Salvatori, and the
team was able to dribble out the final seconds to secure the victory.
"We've had some big wins
here at Western, thinking about the Oakland game and the Oral Roberts
game," said head coach JD Gravina. "I've had some big wins at other levels I've been at. That
may be the biggest win that I have been a part of and probably the most proud I
have ever been of my team. A lot of people don't realize how good Eastern
Illinois is. They returned just about everyone from last year. We came out here
and grinded it out against a great basketball team and came out two points on
top."
The first half was a battle that
consisted of six lead changes and seven ties. The Panthers started the scoring
with a layup in the first minute of play, but Rebecca Henricson answered with a three to give Western its first lead of the
contest. Following another Eastern layin, Salvatori
hit a three-pointer to stake a 6-4 advantage.
The contest remained tied or in
favor of the Leathernecks until the 12:52 mark when Eastern recorded another
layup. However, Charnelle Reed
answered with a three just 10 seconds later to put Western back on top. A Kontautaite
layup, Reed jumper and a Jackie Rieger
free throw gave Western a four-point lead, its largest of the first half.
Western kept the Panthers at bay
until the 3:33 mark when Eastern hit a three-pointer to take the lead. Their
offense outscored the Leathernecks 16-6 in the remainder of the half and headed
into the locker room with a 43-35 advantage.
Four Leathernecks reached double
figures in points with Reed pacing the squad with 16 points. Kontautaite and
Luke added 15 apiece, while Salvatori contributed 10 points. Luke's 15 points
marks a career- and season-high.
Maher, Henricson and Reed each
pulled down a team-high four rebounds. Henricson also led the team in assists
with four.
Western shot 45.2 percent from
the field in the contest, while Eastern shot 49.1 percent.
The Leathernecks return to their
home court in Western Hall for a matchup against Bradley on Friday (Dec. 21).
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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