Raegan McCowan reached a significant milestone in her basketball career on Thursday night, scoring her 1,000th point as Western Illinois University (WIU) defeated Eastern Illinois University (EIU) 62-52 at Western Hall. McCowan achieved this feat in just 50 games, making her the fastest player in Leatherneck Women's Basketball history to reach this mark. She led the game with 23 points and contributed eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Leathernecks, now holding an 11-9 record overall and 5-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), faced challenges early on, trailing EIU 26-21 at halftime. However, McCowan and teammate Mia Nicastro turned the game around with a strong third quarter performance. Nicastro added 20 points to the team's effort, shooting nine of eighteen from the field.
McCowan's historic moment came during the fourth quarter when she was fouled and made a free throw that brought her career total to exactly 1,000 points. This play also helped extend WIU's lead over EIU.
Eastern Illinois entered the game as OVC leaders with a record of 13-7 overall and 10-1 in conference play but struggled after halftime. Macy McGlone led EIU with 16 points and seven rebounds.
In the second half, McCowan played a pivotal role by scoring nine points in the third quarter alone. Her efforts included an important three-point play that energized the home crowd. The Leathernecks maintained their momentum into the fourth quarter, focusing on defense to secure their victory by limiting EIU to just nine points in that period.
Western Illinois will aim to continue their success as they prepare to host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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