The women’s basketball team dropped its 10th game of the conference season Thursday night to Tennessee-Martin 89-59 in Martin, Tenn.

The Panthers (1-10) improved their scoring in the second half shooting 53.6 percent, but it was not enough to dig out of the 43-24 deficit left at halftime.

While the Skyhawks (5-6) shot an overall 53.7 percent for the game, Tennessee-Martin was led by Amy Watson with 19 points. She was followed close behind by teammate Kelly Pendleton with 18. Christi Binkley was also a top scorer for the Skyhawks with 10 points.

Tennessee-Martin also benefited behind the charity stripe with a 21-for-24 performance led by Pendleton (5-for-5). Pendleton also had a big night behind the three-point arc with a 3-for-4 performance.

Freshman center Pam O’Connor was Eastern’s main contributor with a game-high 20 points. O’Connor also led a game-high nine boards to combine with senior forward Angie Russell’s eight boards to give Eastern a rebounding advantage over Tennessee-Martin, 35-29.

Eastern’s downfall was a combination of a .313 shooting percentage in the first half with a 10-for-32 effort from the field and a 2-for-8 performance behind the free-throw line.

Eastern’s road trip continues Saturday as the Panthers travel to Murray State. The Racers are currently 4-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference and come into the second showing against the Panthers with a 65-64 win from Jan. 13.

The one-point loss came at the hands of senior forward Liz Stansberry with a final-second free-throw attempt. The Panthers will not only be looking for redemption from the loss, but to break their four-game losing streak. The battle to advance into the playoffs continues to build with the first round beginning Feb. 27.