WILKES-BARRE, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Basketball battled back from a fourth quarter deficit to lead in the final seconds of regulation, but the foul trouble which plagued the Eagles throughout the game caught up as the host Wilkes University Colonels made free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime. Already short players because of illness, the Eagles  saw three of their top scorers foul out on the way to an 82-75 loss.

The Colonels (5-8, 1-3 MAC Freedom) led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter. They took ten free throws and put several Eastern players on the bench with two fouls. Eastern (5-10, 0-4 MAC Freedom) responded with a burst int he second quarter and built a 34-29 lead at the break. Regie Robinson led all scorers with 12 points and seven rebounds. Naomi Harris had ten points.

The lead, however, was tenuous as the Eagles went to break with 17 fouls against their eight healthy players.

The Eagles struggled from the floor in the third and the Colonels took advantage of a soft zone with four 3-pointers to lead 47-41 after three periods.

Eastern continued to attack the basket and Jaelyn Harris found her rhythm from behind the arc to put the Eagles up by three with three and a half minutes to play. The Colonels answered with consecutive 3-pointers from Gab Giordano to lead 64-61 with two minutes to play.

Down the stretch the Eagles executed on offense and took a two-point lead when Minika Glenn found Viki Kneis for a lay-up with 24 seconds left. The Eagles appeared to get a stop on the ensuing possession, but a foul on Robinson, her fifth, sent the Colonels to the line for the game-tying free throws. Without Robinson or Naomi Harris, who had fouled out earlier, the Eagles got a shot to try to win the game but Jaelyn Harris had her ten-footer rim out and the game went to overtime.

When Jaelyn Harris fouled out early in the overtime, the Eagles wound up chasing the game. Even so, Eastern grabbed a 74-72 lead with a minute and a half to play, but the host Colonels tied the game with a little more than a minute to play and then made free throws to close the game.

Robinson finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Glenn had 18 points nine rebounds and five steals. Naomi Harris scored 15, Jaelyn Harris had 11, and Kneis had ten points and 11 rebounds. 

The Colonels were 32-of-47 from the foul line for the game. Giordano led them with 20 points.

The Eagles will host Misericordia on Wednesday evening.