CHARLESTON, Ill. – Ta'Kenya Nixon led the way with a triple-double effort and every Panther that saw action connected on a field goal, as Eastern Illinois women's basketball won its Ohio Valley Conference showdown with Morehead State, 74-63, Thursday evening at Lantz Arena.

The Panthers (17-8, 12-1 OVC) extended their winning streak to 12 consecutive games and remained perfect in the 2010 calendar year. Eastern also won its sixth straight game against Morehead (18-8, 11-3).

 

With the win, EIU clinched a home game in the opening round of next month's OVC Tournament for the third year in a row. The Panthers also opened up a game-and-a-half lead on second-place MSU in the OVC standings with five games remaining.

Nixon finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, recording the first triple-double by an EIU player since 2004. Dominique Sims added 15 points and Mariah King contributed 12. Led by Nixon, the Panthers' four freshmen teamed up to score 40 points.

 

“I just took what the defense gave me really,” Nixon said. “They were getting a little tired so I tried to push the ball more and try to outrun them. But that's just the game plan. Push the ball and if it's not there kick it out; play inside out.”

 

Half of MSU's 22 made field goals were 3-pointers. The Eagles finished the game 11-of-34 from behind the arc, attempting 30-plus 3-pointers for the third time in the last four meetings with EIU. Chynna Bozeman made five of those 11 triples and finished with 15 points. However, she did not play the final five and a half minutes of the game after suffering a leg injury while being whistled for a charging foul. Ashley Martin had 12 points and Tiffanie Stephens 10.

With Nixon, who played all 40 minutes, pushing the ball up the floor early and often in the second half, EIU enjoyed a 24-7 edge in fast-break points. And led by posts Maggie Kloak (9 points) and King, the Panthers also had a 40-14 advantage in points in the paint.

 

“I'll be honest with you I didn't give a whole lot of thought to taking her out,” EIU head coach Brady Sallee said. “Fortunately over the last few years we've been in a few of these [big games], good and bad, and the one thing I've figured out is you've got to let your players play. I told them as we were going out for the second half, 'you've earned the right to get out here and win this game. Now you've got to go make the plays. And I trust you. If you see something, go do it.'

 

“I'll tell you what feels good is the way the student body and community showed up to support this team,” Sallee added, saluting the EIU fans in attendance. “What a great crowd, probably the best of the year so far. And I think they saw a great game with two really good teams. I'm just excited to be a part of what went on out there tonight and I think our team answered the bell pretty well.”

 

Eastern shot 47 percent from the field, highlighted by a 55 percent showing in the second half. The Panthers were also an efficient 6-of-14 from 3-point land. Ashley Thomas, Kelsey Wyss and Sims each connected on a pair of triples.

 

Morehead shot 32 percent from the field and was actually more accurate with its 3-point attempts (.324) than from inside the arc (.314). Both teams had more assists than turnovers.

 

The Panthers took the lead for good with an 11-1 run just prior to the midpoint of the second half. Wyss ignited the surge with a 3-pointer and King capped it with back-to-back layups. The Eagles responded with seven unanswered points, cutting the EIU lead to 53-50. But Nixon connected on a baseline jumper and MSU was unable to make it a one-possession game again for the remainder of the contest.

 

Down 60-56 after a Stephens 3-pointer at the 6:44 mark, Morehead did not score again from the field for four minutes and 13 seconds. Eastern outscored the visitors 8-2 during that stretch, highlighted by a 3-point play from Nixon. Bozeman also left the game for good while EIU put the game away.

 

Nixon put the finishing touches on the triple-double when she setup a 3-pointer from the corner by Thomas with 50 seconds remaining. On multiple occasions throughout the game, Nixon grabbed a defensive rebound and took the ball the length of the floor for a layup.

 

The Eagles used the 3-point shot to jump out to an early eight-point lead, their biggest of the game. Bozeman connected on three consecutive 3-pointers in a minute and a half during an 11-0 run that put MSU up 13-5 at the 12:37 mark of the first half.

 

But Nixon scored the next two baskets of the game, helping EIU answer with a 7-0 spurt. Bozeman and Marin responded by each hitting a 3-pointer, putting their team back up by seven in the process.

 

Eastern outscored MSU 8-2 in the final four minutes of the first half to tie the game at 27-27 going to the locker room. Sims accounted for EIU's final two baskets.

 

The victory marked the eighth time this season that every Panther that played scored. In five of those eight contests, every EIU player that has seen action has connected on a field goal.

Eastern returns to action Saturday when it hosts Eastern Kentucky at 4 p.m.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID