Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – A three-point basket with eight seconds to play proved to be the difference, as EKU's women's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season, falling 71-69 to Wright State Sunday at McBrayer Arena.
 
Trailing 69-68 with less than 25 seconds to play, Symone Denham grabbed a key defensive rebound following an EKU miss. Anatania Hayes then found Symone Simmons for the game-winner as the Raiders escaped with the victory.
 
The Colonels took a 69-68 lead with 1:34 left to play on a layup from Jalen O'Bannon. Eastern's defense came up with two late stops, but the Colonels could not convert on the offensive end to extend their lead.
 
The Raiders outrebounded the Colonels 46-35 for the game and went 7-of-11 from behind the arc in the second half, including the game-winning shot to put the game away.
 
Eastern grabbed an eight point lead—its largest of the game—as the Colonels put together a 6-0 run in the first period. Junior Michaela Hunter connected on her first free throw of the game, giving Eastern a 7-5 lead. The Colonels scored on their ensuing three possessions, as Hunter capped the run with a bucket with 1:30 left in the first.
 
The Colonels carried a 29-25 advantage into the locker room, but Wright State opened the second half with four straight to tie at 29.
 
After the Raiders built a 36-34 lead, Hunter connected on two free throws to knot it at 36. O'Bannon forced a Wright State turnover on the other end of the floor, as Mariah Massengill found Alexus Cooper on the wing for the three-pointer to put the Colonels up 39-36.
 
Wright State slowly built a five-point lead in the third, but the Colonels closed the period on a 7-2 run to tie it at 51.
 
The final period saw five ties and seven lead changes, as the gritty, physical matchup continued, before the Raiders were able to edge the Colonels in the closing minutes.
 
O'Bannon and Hunter both finished with a season-high 25 points for the Colonels, along with eight rebounds each.
 
The Colonels (4-3) travel to Bowling Green to take on Western Kentucky University Wednesday. Wednesday's game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.