Late Free Throws Lead EIU Women Over Loyola

CHICAGO  – Junior guard Jordyne Crunk went 3-for-4 from the foul line in the closing seconds to seal a 72-69 win for the Panther women’s basketball team over Loyola (IL) Wednesday night at Gentile Arena. EIU improves to 7-6 on the year.

Tied at 69 with 12 seconds remaining in the contest, Crunk stole a Rambler (4-8) inbound pass before being fouled to head to the charity stripe. She sank both free throws on the following play before hitting the front end of a 1-and-1 with two seconds remaining in the game.

The Panthers led by as much as 14 points (48-34) at the 18:42 mark in the second half before the Ramblers fought back to tie the game at 69 late in the game.

The first half had 12 lead changes and was tied five times before the Panthers used a 9-0 running in the closing minutes to take a 43-34 advantage into the locker room. EIU went 7-for-12 from behind the arc in the first stanza led by Kelsey Wyss who went 4-for-5.

Wyss paced the Panther offense with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The senior guard tied her career high with five, three pointers as she went 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Two other players scored in double figures as Mariah King added 14 points and Sabina Oroszova chipped in 10.

EIU had six more rebounds (45-39) than Loyola led by Sydney Mitchell’s eight rebounds. King and Ta’Kenya Nixon both added seven rebounds in the win.

Simone Law led Loyola with a double-double, scoring 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds. Monica Albano added 15 points for the Ramblers.

The Panthers return to action Saturday at Morehead State in Ohio Valley Conference play.