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EASTERN ILLINOIS vs Austin Peay
Jan. 21, 2012  •  4 p.m. 
Lantz Arena (5,300)  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM • TV: WEIU
Ryan Piers, radio play-by-play

GAME 18
The Panther women's basketball team plays host to Austin Peay on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. EIU is 13-4 (4-0 OVC) while Austin Peay is 5-14 (2-4 OVC).
 
EIU-AUSTIN PEAY SERIES
EIU trails the all-time series with Austin Peay, 13-21. Panther head coach Brady Sallee is 9-8 all-time against the Lady Govs, including a 5-2 mark in games played in Charleston. EIU went 2-1 last season against Austin Peay, winning both regular-season contests before falling to the Lady Govs in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament.
 
NIXON LEADS PANTHERS OVER SKYHAWKS
Junior Ta'Kenya Nixon scored a season-high 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting to lead EIU over UT Martin on Monday night. Two other Panthers scored in double figures as junior Sydney Mitchell added 16 points and sophomore Jordyne Crunk tied her season high with 15 points.
 
NIXON NAMED OVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Ta'Kenya Nixon was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday, Jan. 17 for her performances against Southeast Missouri and UT Martin. She has now earned the weekly award five times in her career.
 
Nixon averaged 18 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds per game and four steals per game in two OVC wins last week. The guard went 15-for-21 from the field, connecting on 71.4 percent of her shot attempts. She also went 6-for-10 from the charity stripe.
 
Against UT Martin on Monday night, Nixon scored a season-high 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting to help the Panthers move to 7-0 at home this season. EIU also remained undefeated in conference play with the win and took over sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
 
Nixon becomes the second Panther to earn a weekly award this season as Sabina Oroszova was tabbed OVC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 15.
 
PANTHERS RANKED 19^th IN MID-MAJOR POLL
The Panther women's basketball team was ranked 19th in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as released on Tuesday, Jan. 17. EIU was the lone Ohio Valley Conference team ranked in the poll.
 
SALLEE IN OVC GAMES
Under the direction of head coach Brady Sallee, the women's basketball team has posted an 82-52 record in Ohio Valley Conference games. EIU has won 81 percent of its OVC games since the start of the 2007-08 season with a 63-15 record.
 
SUCCESS INSIDE LANTZ ARENA UNDER BRADY SALLEE
Since head coach Brady Sallee took over the Panther women's basketball program, EIU has posted a 75-32 overall record inside Lantz Arena. The Panthers have posted a .800 winning percentage with a 56-14 record in home games since the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
 
EIU ONE LINERS
• The Panthers are 7-0 this season when playing at home and are 12-0 in their last 12 regular-season home contests dating back to last season. EIU has been impressive at home this year, out scoring its opponents by nearly 24 points and out rebounding them by 13.3 rebounds. Senior Chantelle Pressley paces a group of players that are hitting 45 percent of their shots as she is shooting 61.8 percent (21-for-34) from the floor. Junior Sydney Mitchell is also shooting over 50 percent from the field in home games, connecting on 57.7 percent of her shot attempts (30-for-52).
 
• The Panthers are riding a six-game win streak, their longest of the year since starting the season 4-0. It's the longest win streak since the Panthers ended the 2010-11 regular-season with a nine-game win streak.
 
• EIU is 13-4 through its first 17 games of the year, tying the best start (through first 17 games) since the 1985-86 team did it. The 1982-83 team went 15-3 to start its season in EIU's first year as a Division I member.
 
• The Panthers are currently in first place in the OVC standings with an unblemished 4-0 record. A win over Austin Peay would tie EIU's best start to conference play in school history as the 2007-08 team and the 1987-88 team both started conference play with a 5-0 record.
 
• Junior Ta'Kenya Nixon leads the Panthers in scoring (14.9 ppg), assists (67) and steals (50) while ranking third on the team in rebounds (6.2 rpg). The guard currently leads the OVC in steals and ranks third in assists and sixth in scoring.
 
• Ta'Kenya Nixon has hit 51.3 percent of her shots from the floor this year, the fifth highest percentage in the OVC and best percentage of any players listed as a guard. The 51.3 percent clip also ranks as the ninth best in the nation among players listed as a guard.
 
• Sophomore Jordyne Crunk scored 15 points off the bench on Monday night against UT Martin, tying her season high. The junior guard hit two baskets from behind the arc in the game, ending her 10 game-streak without a made three pointer. She was previously 0-for-9.
 
• Despite only shooting 30.6 percent from the floor on the year, Jordyne Crunk has been able to get to the free throw line and knock down a team-high 60 free throws. She is connecting on 77.9 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe, the 10^th best mark in the OVC.
 
• Junior Kelsey Wyss made two three pointers in the win over UT Martin, improving her three-point field goal percentage to 38.7 on the year. The Hoagland, Ind., native leads EIU with 24 made three pointers while ranking second in the OVC in three-point field goal percentage.
 
• Senior Chantelle Pressley leads the team in blocks (17) while ranking second in steals (30) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). She ranks sixth in the OVC in blocks and 11^th in rebounding.
 
• EIU leads the OVC in scoring defense (59.1 ppg), scoring margin (+12.6), field-goal percentage (.419), rebounding margin (+8.3) while ranking second in scoring offense (71.6 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (.368) and assists (14.8 apg).
 
• The Panthers have scored 30 or more points in the point in three of their last four games. EIU had 32 points in the paint in the win over UT Martin on Monday, the most points in the paint for the Panthers since scoring 38 against Indiana State on Dec. 10.
 
WYSS MOVES INTO THE CAREER CHARTS
Junior guard Kelsey Wyss currently has 104 made three pointers throughout her career, the ninth highest total in school history. The Hoagland, Ind., native only needs four more to pass Meggie Eck (2004-07) and move into eighth.
 
NXION IN THE CAREER CHARTS
Ta'Kenya Nixon has made 354 free throws in her career, the fifth most in school history. The Michigan City, Ind., native needs seven more made free throws to pass Allison Lee (1995-98) and move up to fourth all-time.
 
Nixon also has dished out 379 assists in her career so far, the 10th most in school history. She ranks ninth in career steals with 171.
 
PRESSLEY IN THE CAREER CHARTS
Senior forward Chantelle Pressley has 76 career blocks, the sixth most in school history. The Lexington, Ky., native needs 24 more blocks to move into fifth all-time in career blocks and tie Missy Beck who had 100 blocked shots from 1993-96.