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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois women's basketball begins a five-game road stretch Friday, making the short trip east to Terre Haute, Ind. for the annual non-conference match-up with regional-rival Indiana State.

 

Tip-off at the Hulman Center is slated for 4:45 p.m. (CST). The Panthers (8-3) have won four straight games this season and nine consecutive December games dating back to last year.

 

With each of EIU's three losses this season having come in true road games, the Panthers are still in search of their first non-conference win on an opponent's home court since December 2005. Eastern has not won in Terre Haute since 1992.

 

Friday's game will be the 51st all-time meeting between EIU and Indiana State (2-6). Eastern has played the Sycamores more than any other team. As former rivals in the Gateway Conference, the two schools have squared off at least once every season of EIU's Division I era (1983-present) except 2005-06.

 

The Gateway merged with the Missouri Valley Conference following the 1991-92 campaign, with EIU moving to the Mid-Continent and later the Ohio Valley. Since becoming a non-conference series, Indiana State has won 14 of the 15 games. Eastern's lone victory during that stretch was an overtime affair at Lantz Arena in November 2000.

 

Rachel Galligan missed last season's game, an 85-76 ISU win in Charleston, with a broken big toe. This year the Panthers will be without Lindsey Kluempers, who suffered a broken pinkie finger Saturday in the victory against IPFW. She will miss the final two games this month and be reevaluated around Jan. 1. Kluempers' team-long streaks of consecutive games started (43) and consecutive games played (101) will both end Friday in Terre Haute.

 

Dominique Sims and Maggie Kloak both enjoyed breakout performances in last year's game against the Sycamores. Kloak started in place of the injured Galligan and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sims put together a solid all-around performance, registering 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

 

However, each of the last two seasons an ISU player has burned the Panthers from 3-point land. Two years ago in Terre Haute, Kelsey Luna (now a junior and the team's leading scorer) was 6-of-6 from behind the arc en route to finishing with a game-high 27 points. Last season, the now-graduated Angela Phillips hit five 3s and scored 33 points.

 

Indiana State has had an up-and-down year thus far. The Sycamores dropped their season-opener at Central Michigan by one point (84-83) and lost in overtime at home against Arkansas State. However, ninth-year head coach Jim Weidie's team was also held to 31 points in an 11-point loss at New Orleans.

 

Indiana State did win at Southeast Missouri over Thanksgiving Weekend. Leah Phillips connected on six 3-pointers at the Show Me Center and finished with a game-high 27 points en route to MVC Player of the Week honors. Luna (15.4 ppg) and Phillips (11.8 ppg) have made 42 of their team's 60 3-pointers this season.

Following Friday's game, the Panthers will have nine days off before closing out the month Dec. 29 at Illinois State. As the defending MVC Tournament champions, the Redbirds represent the third 2008 conference tournament winner EIU will square off against during non-conference play.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID