Box Score

MARTIN, Tenn. – With the game tied, senior Ilona Muszak hit a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give the Eastern Kentucky women’s basketball team a 63-60 win over Tennessee-Martin Thursday night at the Elam Center. With the win, the Lady Colonels (7-19, 4-13 OVC) snapped an 11-game losing skid.

Sophomore Cherie White led EKU with 14 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Kayla Drake finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Laura Becerra handed out a career-best nine assists and finished with six points.

Phyllisha Mitchell led the Skyhawks (2-26, 0-17 OVC) with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Yalonda Davis contributed 15 points and five assists.

With a one-point lead and 1:34 showing on the clock, Drake knocked down a three to push the lead to four, 60-56. After UT Martin cut the deficit in half at the 1:09 mark, Muszak missed a three-point attempt on the other end. Sonjia Hoston grabbed the offensive rebound but missed two free throw attempts.

Mitchell’s lay-up with 11 seconds to play tied the game. Drake missed a jump shot with four seconds but Eastern kept the ball after it squirted out of bounds while the two teams battled for the rebound. After an EKU time out, Muszak came off a screen to get the inbound pass and found the bottom of the net from the right corner.

Mitchell got a shot off to tie from half court but it missed to the left.

Eastern Kentucky finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds.

The Lady Colonels must beat Murray State on Saturday in order to earn the eighth and final spot in the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

EKU led for the first 10 minutes of the game until Tennessee-Martin used a 10-0 run to turn a 14-10 deficit into a six-point lead. Alishia Glover’s basket at the 7:27 mark capped the run. Eastern went nearly five minutes without scoring.

The Lady Colonels answered by putting together a 7-0 run of their own to go back on top. Calais Dunn capped the run with a lay-up to put the visitors in front 21-20. The game would be tied three times before halftime. Kiara Smith’s jumper with 15 ticks on the clock for UTM sent the teams to the locker room tied at 26-26.

Eastern out-shot the Skyhawks 44 percent to 37 percent in the first half, but the Lady Colonels committed 13 turnovers and were out-scored 12-7 off turnovers.

Tennessee-Martin used a 10-2 run to break a 33-33 tie and go on top 43-35 with 11:26 left in the game. Eastern Kentucky didn’t fade. The Lady Colonels engineered a 14-5 run to take back the lead. Nadia Mossong and Becerra both knocked down a three-pointer during the run. Colette Cole’s basket with 7:02 left in the game polished off the run and put EKU in front 49-48.

A pair of free throws by Davis put the Skyhawks back on top by one, 50-49, with 6:08 to play. Becerra answered with a three-pointer on the other end for EKU and the Lady Colonels never trailed again. However, the game would be tied three times over the final five and a half minutes.

Tip-off for Eastern’s regular season finale on Saturday at Murray State is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. ET.