RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky overcame a 12-point first half deficit and led by three with 13 seconds left in regulation, but Eastern Illinois got a game-tying three-pointer to force overtime and won 91-86 Friday at McBrayer Arena. A win would have lifted the Lady Colonels (6-3, 2-2 OVC) into a four-way tie for first place atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings. The Panthers (5-7, 4-0 OVC) won for the fifth straight time and now sit alone in first place in the OVC.
Eastern Kentucky trailed by 12 points with 12 seconds left in the first half. However, Niki Avery knocked down a three-pointer three seconds before the end of the period and the Lady Colonels scored the first 10 points of the second half to move in front 41-40 with 17:16 remaining in the game.
EKU never trailed the rest of the second half. The Lady Colonels led by five on four occasions but couldn’t pull away.
Eastern Illinois had the ball and was down by one with less than a minute to go but the Panthers turned it over with 44 seconds showing on the clock. After letting the shot clock wind down, Cazee drove to the basket, did a spin move but fell to the court. The senior kept her dribble got back to her feet and laid it in on the right side to put the Lady Colonels in front 74-71 with only 22 seconds to go.
The seventh tie of the second half came when Megan Edwards hit a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
The Lady Colonels scored the first four points of the overtime period and led by three when Avery knocked down a trey with 1:54 remaining. Rachel Galligan answered at the other end with a three-pointer to tie it. The two teams exchanged three-pointers again inside the final minute of overtime. Another three by Avery made it 84-83 with 56 seconds to go. Ellen Canale answered for the Panthers and her shot from deep gave the visitors the lead for good.
Galligan, in her second game back from an injury, led all players with 24 points and eight rebounds. She made six of nine shots from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Galligan was one of five Panthers to reach double figures in scoring. Canale finished with 17 and Dominique Sims added 16 points. Edwards and Lindsey Kluempers totaled 14 and 10 points respectively.
Cazee led the Lady Colonels with 23 points and seven rebounds. She also had five assists and six steals. Avery made four of six three-point attempts and finished with 15 points. LaTanya Stokes scored EKU’s first four points in overtime and finished with 12.
EIU shot 52.2 percent from the field for the game and made 36-of-40 free throws for 90 percent. Eastern Kentucky attempted 27 more shots, and made five more than the Panthers. The Lady Colonels were out –scored by 16 points at the charity stripe, going 20-of-28 from the line.
The game was tied twice and neither team led by more than three points in the first five minutes of the game. However, hot shooting by Eastern Illinois allowed the Panthers to pull away.
Galligan’s lay-up tied the score for the second time, 7-7, and began an 11-2 EIU run. Four different players scored during the run and when Galligan capped it off with a pair of free throws at the 11:54 mark Eastern Illinois led by seven, 16-9.
Avery’s free throw drew the Lady Colonels within six, 27-21, despite 69.2 percent (9-of-13) shooting by Eastern Illinois. Two more free throws by Galligan made it a nine-point advantage with 4:08 remaining before the half. At that point, the Panthers had made 10-of-14 shots from the field for 71.4 percent and 10-of-10 attempts from the free throw line.
Edwards gave EIU a 10-point lead with a three-pointer at the 2:39 mark. The Lady Panthers took their largest lead on a lay-up by Canale with 12 seconds remaining before halftime. Avery knocked down a three-pointer just three ticks before the horn sounded to cut the deficit to single digits at the break.
Eastern Illinois finished the first half having made 12-of-19 shots (63.2 percent) from the field and 12-of-14 free throw attempts. EKU shot 31.3 percent (10-of-32) in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Panther trio of Sims, Canale and Galligan combined for 31 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field in the first half. Canale had the only miss while Sims and Galligan went 3-for-3.
The Lady Colonels turned Avery’s three-pointer at the end of the first half into a 13-0 run by scoring the first 10 points of the second half. After scorching the nets in the first half, EIU began the second stanza with three straight misses and three turnovers.
Lindsey Waters opened the second half of play with a three-pointer and Cazee capped the run by draining a trey to give Eastern Kentucky a 41-40 lead with 17:16 left in the game.
The Lady Colonels will take a break through the holiday before resuming game action on Saturday, Dec. 29. EKU will face High Point at the Saint Peter’s College Holiday Tournament in Jersey City, N.J. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
