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EASTERN ILLINOIS (8-7, 4-1) vs. Eastern Kentucky (4-10, 1-5)
Jan. 11, 2011 • 5:30 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena • Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
GAME 16
Eastern Illinois will play five of its next seven Ohio Valley Conference games at home starting this Thursday when the Panthers host Eastern Kentucky. EIU is currently 8-7 on the season climbing over the .500 mark for the first time this season following a 68-43 win at Southeast Missouri on Saturday. EIU also improved to 4-1 in the OVC, ranking as one of three teams currently tied for first in the conference race. Eastern Kentucky is off to a 4-10 start to the season, 1-5 in the OVC. The Lady Colonels have lost six straight overall and five straight in the OVC following a conference opening win over Murray State.
EIU-EASTERN KENTUCKY SERIES
This will be the 27th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky with the Lady Colonels holding a slight 14-12 series lead. EIU has won six in a row sweeping the season series in each of the last three years. The last EKU win in the series was in January 2007 in Richmond. EIU has won six straight over EKU in Lantz Arena dating back to the 2002-03 season.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky has three players averaging in double figures as the Lady Colonels are scoring 63.5 points per game. Alex Jones is the leader of that trio averaging 15.5 points per game which ranks 4th in the OVC. Brittany Coles ranks 9th in the OVC at 13.5 points per game. Coles is the Lady Colonels top 3-point threat shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Jones is a double threat for EKU as she also averages 10.1 rebounds per game.
PUTTING THEM AWAY
Once again this season EIU has had a knack for delivering the knock out punch to OVC opponents. Three of EIU's four OVC wins have come by 19 points or more as EIU is out scoring league opponents by nearly 13 points per game. Last year EIU out scored its league foes by 15 points per game en route to a 16-2 record.
NIXON STARTING TO FIND PRESEASON GROVE
Sophomore Ta'Kenya Nixon appears to be rounding back into preseason form after she was forced to miss two games due to a sore knee and really was hampered for a few games following her return. On Saturday Nixon picked up her third double-double of the season but also her third double-double in the last five games. She was one assist shy of a fourth double-double in that span at SIU Edwardsville finishing with 24 points and nine assists. During her current five game run Nixon is averaging 19 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. She is hitting 51.8 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line (40-of-52).
KING RETURNS TO DOUBLE FIGURES
Mariah King made it 13 out of 15 games this season that the sophomore has reached double figure scoring. King had a game high 17 points at Southeast Missouri as she rebounded from a six point night at SIU Edwardsville. Her other non-double digit game this year was a scoreless night at Indiana State. King has hit for 21 points on three occasions this season and has led the Panthers in scoring in six games. She is hitting 45 percent from the field averaging 13.1 points per game.
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE AND FIELD GOAL DEFENSE
Eastern Illinois enters this week ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference in two key shooting categories as they rank second in field goal percentage and also second in field goal percentage defense. The Panthers are shooting 39.3 percent for the season which ranks only behind Tennessee Tech (40.2) in the league. On the defensive end of the floor EIU is limiting opponents to 38.6 percent. Only Murray State is keeping opponents at a lower shooting clip at 38.4 percent. EIU has four games this season when it has shot over 45 percent as a team with a season best 54.7 against Tennessee State. EIU also has four games in which it has held opponents under 35 percent shooting with low of 29.7 by Florida Atlantic.
