CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a dramatic fourth-quarter surge, the Morehead State Eagles escaped Lantz Arena with a narrow 74-70 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball clash on Thursday night.

The Eagles, who improved to 17-11 overall, appeared to be in serious jeopardy after a stagnant third quarter allowed the Panthers to seize momentum. Leading 37-32 at halftime, Morehead State managed only 12 points in the third period. Eastern Illinois, led by the persistent scoring of Ava Stoller and Ella Lune, capitalized, outscoring the Eagles 17-12 to tie the game at 49 entering the final frame.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the fourth quarter, where Morehead State’s offense reignited just in time. After the Panthers took a brief lead early in the period, the Eagles unleashed a 25-point quarter, their highest of the night, to stave off the upset bid by a Panthers team that fell to 4-24.

Violet McNece of Morehead State was the catalyst throughout. The 6-foot sophomore from Chesterfield, Missouri, played 35 minutes and scored a game-high 19 points, including a critical 3-pointer with 2:17 remaining that extended the Eagles’ lead to five points. She added three assists and a block. Her backcourt partner, Landon Forbes of Wichita, Kansas, directed the offense with a game-high seven assists.

The Eagles’ interior presence was equally vital. Kate Dike, a 6-3 freshman from Kyiv, Ukraine, provided 17 points off the bench, while Marie Sepp of Tallinn, Estonia, added 12 points. Laura Toffali of Villasanta, Italy, also chipped in 12 points for a balanced Morehead State attack that weathered a poor shooting third quarter.

Eastern Illinois was fueled by the guard tandem of Stoller and Lune. Stoller, a 5-6 sophomore from St. Petersburg, Florida, led the Panthers with 20 points and four assists. Lune, a 6-0 freshman from nearby Brimfield, Illinois, followed with 19 points. Meioshe Mason, a 6-4 freshman from Lebanon, Tennessee, contributed 12 points and was a force defensively with multiple blocks.

The Panthers fought tenaciously, overcoming an early deficit where they started 0 for 7 from the field. They clawed back and consistently answered Morehead State runs, with Sydney-James Desroches hitting a 3-pointer to pull Eastern Illinois within two points at 68-66 with just under two minutes to play. However, key baskets from McNece and Sepp in the final 90 seconds, followed by two clinching free throws from McNece with eight seconds left, sealed the outcome for the visiting Eagles.

An announced crowd of 544 at Lantz Arena saw a game that statistically favored Morehead State, which entered with a 62.4% probability of winning according to Interstat’s ELO system. The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Morehead State, which defeated Eastern Illinois 52-48 on Jan. 24.

The game was a contrast in conference trajectories. Morehead State, now above .500 in league play, continues to jockey for positioning in the OVC standings. Eastern Illinois, despite the loss, showed significant fight against a team it had played closely twice this season.

Morehead State travels to face Western Illinois on Saturday. Eastern Illinois will host Southern Indiana, also on Saturday.