Down by one point with 25 seconds left in the game, graduate forward Kennedy Davis was able to get a steal and regain possession for the Panthers.
With just seven seconds on the clock, senior guard Tiny Lewis went up for a layup and was fouled. She made her way to the free throw line with the game on the line, where she was able to knock down both shots.
A timeout and a defensive stop later, Eastern Illinois (2-14, 1-4) was able to walk away with their first conference win of the season, taking down Tennessee Tech (10-4, 3-1) with a final score of 75-74 on Thursday night.
“We were all praying about this game,” Davis said. “We’ve been having a little dry spell with the losses and I just wanted to come in and show that I’m here for this team.”
Davis went down with an injury earlier in the game when she took a shot to the face. She came back in when the team needed her and made the biggest play of the game.
The Panthers won in large part due to an efficient all-around attack on offense. The team had five players with double digit scoring and had their most efficient game on offense this season as they shot 54.4% from the field.
Redshirt junior center Meioshe Mason was a big part of the team’s efficient night. She ended the game with 15 points and shot 75% (6-8) on the night.
The Golden Eagles, like most teams, throw multiple players at Mason when she gets the ball. This game however, the pressure didn’t seem to bother her.
“It’s a little difficult for just one person to guard me,” Mason said. “Sometimes they have to do more than one.”
Leading the team in scoring was junior guard Ava Stoller, ending the game with 15 points and four assists. Right behind her was redshirt junior forward Sydney-James Desroches, who ended the game with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Desroches was playing in her first home game since coming back from injury this season, and she hasn’t skipped a beat.
“I’m feeling really good,” Desroches said. “It’s something that I prayed for not just for myself, but for my team. I feel like God just really came through and gave us a win.”
The team continues play on Saturday as they look to use the momentum from this win to defeat conference opponent Tennessee State at home.
“We feel like we can play with people,” head coach Marqus McGlothan said. “We just gotta keep executing and being consistent in all the little details that we do.”
The team is facing off against Davis’s old team in Tennessee State on Saturday. She played 4 full seasons for the team.
“I say we bring that fight into the next game for [Davis],” Desroches said. “Knowing that’s the school she transferred from, our energy can’t dip whatsoever. She needs us and we need to turn it up a couple of notches.”
The game on Saturday will tip off at 1 p.m. in Groninger Arena.
Aaron Coffin can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
