The Lindenwood women's basketball team (23-7, 15-4 OVC) extended its win streak to seven after defeating Eastern Illinois (4-26, 3-16 OVC), 80-43 in the final home game of the regular season on Thursday night.

GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood got off to a quick start jumping out to a 13-0 lead and did not allow an Eastern field goal until the 5:14 mark of the opening quarter. The hot shooting for the Lions continued throughout the frame as they knocked down 10-of-15 shots to lead 24-7 after one. Aleshia Jones paced the Black and Gold with seven points in the first 10 minutes.

Alyssa Nielsen knocked down her second three-pointer early in the second stretching the lead to 27-10. EIU cut the advantage to 11 just passed the halfway point of the middle frame. However, Nielsen buried another triple, putting the Lions ahead 34-20. Lindenwood stayed hot from deep with threes from Jones and Ellie Brueggemann extending the lead to 43-22. The Black and Gold led 43-24 at the break and shot 57 percent from the field and 62 percent from three-point range in the opening half. Nielsen led the way with 11, followed by Jones with 10.

The Lions kept their foot on the gas throughout the third quarter outscoring the Panthers 23-8. Brooke Coffey connected from deep three minutes into the frame, growing the lead to 50-28. Nielsen continued the three-point barrage with another a few minutes later, putting the Lions up 55-30 just past the halfway point of the third. Lindenwood finished the quarter on an 11-2 run and led 66-32 after three.

Anna McCarn had a strong fourth quarter with four points and three rebounds in nearly nine minutes of action. Lindenwood cruised to its seventh-straight win and have matched last seasons win total with 23. Once again, the Lions had four players in double figures led by Nielsen with 17.

GAME LEADERS
Alyssa Nielsen (17 points, six rebounds, four steals)
Brooke Coffey (14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists)
Valerie Norwood (12 points, three rebounds, two assists)

UP NEXT
The Lions close out the regular season in a matchup with OVC leader Western Illinois on Saturday in Macomb, Ill. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.