The Redhawks dropped a contest against the Eastern Illinois Panthers 72-53 on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

The Redhawks turned the ball over 17 times which was a big role in their offensive struggles.

Freshman guard Kennedi Watkins said she is still finding ways to stay positive after the Redhawks dropped to 5-18 on the season.

“It's definitely not ideal, but every day we get the chance to go and practice and to just put that week in the past and start a new week,” Watkins said.

Watkins notched a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds and pouring in 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor and going 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Deanay Watson continued to find success in her role in both scoring and providing veteran leadership. She racked up a team-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. Watson said she thought EIU’s defense made the difference in Saturday’s loss.

“Defensively they knew their personnel,” Watson said. “They were disciplined when they did their defenses, and they knew their personnel very well.”

Although the Redhawks never led in the contest, they were able to stay competitive through the last four minutes of the fourth quarter before the Panthers pulled away.

Redhawks coach Rekha Patterson said she liked the effort from her team, but it was EIU’s experience that gave them the edge.

“What you saw was a veteran team execute and get exactly what they wanted, and then you saw our team struggle to score, and you have to be able to put up points,” said Patterson.

The Redhawks will travel to Tennessee to take on conference opponent Austin Peay on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 5 p.m.