MIDWAY, Ky. -- Following an 11-day layoff since their last outing, the Midway women's basketball team returned to the hardwood on Saturday (Jan. 22) when they hosted Indiana University East inside Marshall Gymnasium for a River States Conference showdown.

The Red Wolves got off to a strong start as they took a 14-9 lead following the first frame before extending their lead to 10 at intermission. IU East would lead by as many as 16 in the third period as they would cruise to the 81-69 victory.

Following the loss, Chris Minner's squad – who was 'receiving votes' in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll – drops to 15-6 overall and 7-2 in league play. IU East, meanwhile, improves to 16-5 overall and 7-2 in RSC play with the win.

The Eagles struggled to get anything to drop in the early going as they hit just 4-of-17 from the floor in the first quarter for 23.5 percent. Things unfortunately got worse for the Blue and Gold in the second stanza where they shot just 22.2 percent.

A layup from Jill Goldey (Pineville, Ky.) and a jumper from Dezeree White (Houston, Texas) gave Midway a 4-0 lead early in the first period, but that would be the only lead they would hold. IU East responded with a pair of 7-0 runs to take a 14-9 lead following the opening 10 minutes.

The Red Wolves extended their lead to its largest of the first half at 25-11 after opening the second quarter with a quick 11-2 run. Midway cut the deficit to single digits late, but IU East pushed their lead to 34-24 heading into the locker room.

A three-point play from Allyson Callahan (Morehead, Ky.) and a layup from Keia McCullogh (Nashville, Tenn.) had the lead to seven, but a turnover led to another IU East layup as they held a 59-50 lead entering the final stanza.

Another layup from McCullogh cut the IU East lead to eight less than two minutes into the fourth, but that was as close as the home team got as IU East led by double digits the rest of the way before cruising to the 81-69 victory.

Allyson Callahan led the way for the Eagles with 15 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Dezeree White added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Keia McCullogh chipped in 12 points and nine boards in a losing effort.

The Eagles finished the contest shooting just 37.8 percent, while they also turned the ball over 25 times. The Red Wolves fared a bit better shooting 45.5 percent overall.

The Eagles will now have the next few days to correct their mistakes before hosting Carlow (Pa.) on Thursday (Jan. 27) at 5:30 p.m. ET inside Marshall Gymnasium.

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