CHARLESTON, Ill. - Competing for all 50 minutes in an intense contest, the University of Evansville women's basketball team battled in a 85-74 double-overtime loss to Eastern Illinois on the road on Saturday night in Charleston, Ill.

Continuing her impressive early season form, junior Abby Feit tied a career-high with 29 points, leading all scorers, while also tallying her third double-double of the year with 13 rebounds. Joining Feit in double-figures were juniors A'Niah Griffin and Je'Naiya Davis with 14 points each, with Davis doing so in her UE debut. The Panthers were led by Lariah Washington with 25 points.

The contest was hallmarked by the inability for either team to break away and build a lead. Through the first overtime, neither team could build a lead larger than seven with the game featuring 17 ties and nine lead changes. Foul trouble bothered both teams in the opening half as EIU's starting point guard Kira Arthofer picked-up two fouls in the first seven minutes, while Feit was credited with two fouls in the first half, limiting her availability late in the second quarter.

A three-pointer from EIU's Jordyn Huges built a four-point lead for the Panthers with 5:08 left in the opening half, but from that point, Evansville bounced-back to close out the half. The Aces mounted a 10-4 run to close the second quarter, including three-straight points by Griffin as Evansville went to the break with a 32-30 advantage.

The third quarter saw EIU retake its lead, ultimately out-scoring the Aces, 26-19, in the period. Prior to the Panthers spurt, Evansville opened the second half by increasing its lead to four on a jumper in the paint by senior Myia Clark with 7:52 remaining in the quarter. Following Clark's bucket, EIU went on a 13-4 run, regaining the lead and building it as large as five and holding a 54-49 lead with 10 minutes in regulation remaining.

EIU would push its lead as high as seven to open the fourth, but as has been true this season, the fourth quarter has been owned by the Aces and been an area of strength for UE. A 9-1 run keyed the Aces back into the lead, playing stifling defense and limiting the Panthers to just 3-14 (21.4%) shooting in the period. Evansville took a 62-61 lead on a jumper by Feit with just 2:15 left to play. Three consecutive made free throws from the Panthers pushed EIU back in front 64-62 with less than a minute on the clock, but it was again Feit who came up big. With 44 seconds left in regulation, Feit knocked-down a layup that tied the game at 64, cutting through the defense and laying it in. With the ball, EIU held to drain the clock, missing a three at the buzzer as the game went into overtime.

To begin the first overtime, EIU grabbed back the lead, scoring three-straight points to hold a 67-64 lead. Evansville answered with a triple by Griffin with just over three minutes remaining in the first extra period, tying the game at 67. The two teams traded jumpers as the game remained tied at 69. With 1:10 left on the clock, EIU's Washington was sent to the line and missed the back end of a pair of free throws, limiting the Panthers leads to just 70-69. 30 seconds late, Newman split a pair at the line to keep the game tied inside the final minute. Evansville's defense again stepped-up, getting a stop with 18 seconds left. Holding the ball for the last shot, Evansville set-up a great look for Feit, whose 15-foot jump shot rolled in and popped back out as the buzzer sounded.

In what would be the final overtime, Evansville took back the lead with a layup by Elly Morgan to lead, 74-72. Following Morgan's basket, EIU went on a run to close the game as Evansville battled foul trouble in the 85-74 loss.

The Aces return to competition on Wednesday, staying on the road for a 1 PM (CT) matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Ind.
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.

 

• TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page

 

• SUPPORT: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the SUPPORT tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.