ST. LOUIS - Three Eastern Illinois players scored in double figures led by Ava Stoller's 18 points, but Saint Louis held the Panthers to 26 percent shooting in the final quarter to escape with a 64-58 win over EIU.
 
For the second straight game, EIU held a slight lead after the opening quarter as the Panthers led 17-16 after ten minutes of play.  SLU led by five at the break, 33-28.
 
EIU opened the second half on a 12-2 run with Janyah Bohanon scoring six straight points in the quarter that ended with the two teams deadlocked at 42-42.  Bohanon finished with 12 points for EIU.
 
Nevaeh Dickman joined the double figure scoring party for EIU early in the fourth quarter with four points as she finished with 12.  Her bucket with 7:21 to play put EIU up 46-45.
 
Jasaiyah Wallace converted an EIU turnover into a quick basket with 5:37 to play pushing the Billikens lead to five points and would not allow EIU to get closer than three points the remainder of the game.
 
Tyonna Bailey led SLU with 20 points with D'Myjah Bolds collecting a double-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds. 
 
SLU finished the game shooting 35 percent from the floor with EIU finishing at 33 percent.
 
Two of the nation's top shot blocking teams went head-to-head in the game.  EIU had four blocks, all by junior Abbie Boutilier.  SLU finished with ten blocks, Bolds had six.
 
EIU falls to 0-4 on the season and will host Evansville on Saturday for its home opener.  Saint Louis is now 2-1.
 

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WESTERN ILLINOIS 74, CORNELL COLLEGE (IOWA) 41
MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Women's basketball team delivered a dominant performance Wednesday night, defeating Cornell College (Iowa) 74-41 at Western Hall to improve to 3-1 on the season.

The Leathernecks set the tone early, opening the game with a strong first quarter to take a 19-8 lead. Mia Nicastro led the offensive attack in the opening period, scoring 10 points as Western shot 53.3% from the field.

Western continued to control the game in the second quarter, adding 14 points while holding Cornell to 11. The Leathernecks took a 33-19 advantage into halftime, with Nicastro leading all scorers with 17 points. Maria Messling also provided a spark offensively, scoring six points in the first half.

The Leathernecks broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Cornell 25-10 to extend their lead to 58-29. Western's offense found its rhythm, shooting 57.1% from the field in the period while creating opportunities through defensive pressure and second-chance points.

Nicastro continued her impressive night, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. She also added five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Messling turned in a strong performance of her own, recording 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding six rebounds and three assists. Madison Davis reached double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Sidney Skrobot led the Leathernecks on the glass with nine rebounds, while Kennedy Herrig finished with five points, four rebounds, three steals and a block. Jaelyn Jones also contributed three steals.

Western Illinois maintained control throughout the fourth quarter, adding 16 points while limiting Cornell to 12 to secure the 74-41 victory.

As a team, the Leathernecks shot 48.2% from the field and finished with 37 rebounds, 19 assists and 13 steals. Western also held a 34-12 advantage in points in the paint and scored 26 second-chance points.