Nothing seemed to be working on offense for the Eastern women’s basketball team Tuesday night against Wright State.

The Panthers shot just 29 percent from the field as they drop to 0-2 on the season after getting blown out by Wright State 81-46 on the road.

Eastern throughout the game missed everything from layups that were wide open to jumpers that normally find the net. It particularly struggled beyond the three-point line where they finished 5-of-25. Junior Carmen Tellez alone was 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

“We just need those players to make those,” Eastern coach Matt Bollant said. “And that’s probably the hard thing, is getting yourself to believe when things aren’t going your way.”

Tellez even with her shooting struggles finished with a team high nine points in the game as no one around her was able to get much at all, if anything offensively.

Sophomore Jennifer Nehls finished 0-of-8 from the field and senior guard Grace Lennox, who is normally the spark plug of the offense, finished with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Eastern not only struggled to shoot the ball when it had it, but also had issues keeping the ball in its possession turning it over 21 times against the Raiders. Wright State finished the game with 23 points off turnovers.

“Part of (the turnovers) was Wright State. They are really athletic, they got out in passing lanes and we definitely didn’t do a great job of running the offense,” Bollant said. “We prepared a, I thought, pretty well yesterday, but we’re going to see some more pressure and we have got to do better next time.”

If there is one area of the game that was specifically lopsided in Wright State’s favor, it was rebounding. The Raiders all but had their way on every ball in the paint outrebounding the Panthers 54-34 in the game.

The 54 rebounds included 20 offensive rebounds for Wright State. Those 20 rebounds translated to 19 second-chance points. Any team that scores over half of its points off turnover and offensive rebounds is a pretty safe bet to win, and this was exactly the case for the Raiders Tuesday night.

In the first half alone, Wright State grabbed 31 rebound to the Panthers’ 17.

“In the first half that really hurt us. Our defense in the first half was not that bad if we were to just add to the defense some rebounding with it we got enough stops,” Bollant said. “But yeah, we have got to get better at it.”

For the second game in a row it was the second quarter that weighed the heaviest on the Panthers. Eastern set the pace for the quarter by starting the second shooting four three-point shots and missing all of them. The Panthers shot just 2-of-9 total in the quarter.

Meanwhile in the second quarter, Wright State scored 17 points and saw its 19-13 first quarter lead balloon to 36-20 at halftime.

Whatever small improvements Eastern made offensively at halftime, Wright State did 10-fold as they as it shot 51 percent in the second half, including dropping 25 in the fourth quarter. As they cruised to the 35-point victory over the Panthers.

Horizon League pre-season player of the year Chelsea Welch led the Raiders with 15 points in the game. She began the game scoring the first six Wright State points driving the basket each time and finishing near the rim practically uncontested each time.

Welch was one of four players for Wright State that finished in double figures in the game.

Eastern will return home for its next game Nov. 18 against Evansville.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]