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EASTERN ILLINOIS (0-1) vs Bradley (0-1)
November 12 • 7 p.m.
Lantz Arena (5,300) • Charleston, Ill. 
TV: WEIU
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
Ryan Piers, radio play-by-play

THE OPENING TIP
Monday night's contest against Bradley features two head coaches who are both in their first season with their respective programs. EIU is looking for its second consecutive win over the Braves after picking up a road win last season in Peoria, Ill., on a last second shot by then-junior Kelsey Wyss.
 
EIU and Bradley both enter the game with 0-1 records as both squads dropped their season openers. The Panthers fell, 69-39, at Indiana State on Friday night while Central Michigan handed the Braves a 73-58 home-opening loss.
 
Both squads posted winning records last season and advanced to postseason play. EIU finished the year 22-9 and advanced to the WNIT while Bradley posted an 18-16 record and participated in the WBI.
 
MONDAY NIGHT PROMOTION
Monday's women's basketball home opener against Bradley at 7 p.m. will offer fans the '3-2-1-day!' promotion. Fans can purchase tickets for $3, hot dogs for $2 and small drinks for $1. EIU women's basketball posters will also be given away to fans in attendance.
 
COACHING MATCHUPS
Lee Buchanan enters his first season as the head coach of the Panther women's basketball program after previously serving five seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at EIU. Buchanan has a 356-217 overall record in 20 years of head coaching, previously coaching at Brescia University (1986-98), Francis Marion (1998-2002) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (2003-07).
 
Mike Brooks was an assistant coach at Bradley in 2011-12, helping the Braves capture 18 wins, the fifth-best single-season win total in program history. Brooks was promoted to head coach following the departure of Paula Buscher who took over as head coach at SIUE. Brooks is 5-26 entering his second season as a head coach, previously serving as co-head coach at Central Methodist University (2010-11).
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH BRADLEY
EIU leads the all-time series with Bradley, 17-14. The Panthers are looking for their first home win in the series since opening the 2006-07 campaign with a 98-75 win over the in-state foe. The last time the two teams met inside Lantz Arena, the Braves defeated the Panthers 77-72 on Nov. 22, 2010.
 
LAST TIME OUT VS BRADLEY
Down two points with just under 10 seconds remaining in the game, Kelsey Wyss drained the game-winning three pointer to give EIU a 59-58 road win over Bradley on Nov. 15, 2011. The game saw 15 lead changes in addition to having the score tied eight times, including a 29-29 halftime score.
 
Sydney Mitchell scored a team-high 15 points off the bench to pace the Panther offense while classmate Ta'Kenya Nixon added 14 points. Mariah King also scored in double figures, netting 10 points. Three players in Nixon, Sabina Oroszova and Chantelle Pressley all pulled down seven rebounds while King chipped in six rebounds. Nixon also added six steals and five assists in the win.
 
PANTHERS DROP SEASON OPENER AT INDIANA STATE
The Panthers dropped their season opener at Indiana State, 69-39, on Nov. 9. EIU went cold from the field, going 14-for-52 from the field and 5-for-16 from the charity stripe. Ta'Kenya Nixon was the lone Panther in double-figure scoring, netting 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting.
 
PANTHER NOTES
• The Panthers only connected 26.9 percent of their shots from the floor at Indiana State, the lowest field-goal percentage by an EIU women's basketball team since Dec. 8, 2010. EIU hit 25.9 percent of its shots in a 59-50 home loss to Indiana State.
 
• EIU only managed to score nine points in the first half at Indiana State on Nov. 9, the fewest points in a half by a Panther women's basketball team since Nov. 18, 2001. The Panthers scored 11 points in the second half of an 89-33 loss at No. 10 Purdue.
 
• EIU has a 20-10 all-time record since the start of the Division I era (1982-83) in home openers. The Panthers have won four consecutive home openers.
 
• The 30 point loss at Indiana State is the Panthers largest defeat since an 84-53 loss at Illinois State on Nov. 18, 2010.
 
• Redshirt-sophomore Katlyn Payne made her first career start at Indiana State, scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds in 25 minutes of action. She scored 80 points in 22 games with the Panthers last season after sitting out the first nine games due to NCAA transfer rules.
 
• EIU dropped to 11-20 all-time in season openers since the start of the Division I era (1982-83) following Friday's loss at Indiana State. EIU now trails the all-time series with the Sycamores, 32-23.
 
• Freshman Alece Shumpert and junior Jordyne Crunk played together in high school as both players attended Althoff Catholic HS in Belleville, Ill.
 
IT'S A NEW ERA: HEAD COACH LEE BUCHANAN
On May 29, 2012, EIU hired Lee Buchanan to guide the Panther women's basketball program after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant and associate head coach. During his five years on the bench, EIU has had its most successful five-year run since the program began. EIU has made three consecutive postseason tournaments twice playing in the Women's WNIT and once in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The program has amassed 106 wins with three, 20-win seasons in the last four years. EIU has played in three OVC Tournament Championship games in the past five seasons and won its first regular-season OVC title in 2010.
 
THREE PANTHERS EARN ALL-OVC PRESEASON HONORS
Seniors Mariah King, Ta'Kenya Nixon and Sydney Mitchell were named to the Ohio Valley Conference's Preseason Team as selected by conference head coaches and sports information directors on Oct. 23 at the conference's annual media day. Nixon is a two-time 'OVC Defensive Player of the Year' and a three-time All-OVC First Team selection while King has been named to the All-OVC Second Team twice.
 
EIU PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN WEST DIVISION, RECEIVE FIVE FIRST PLACE VOTES
EIU was picked to finish second in the OVC's West Division and received five, first-place votes behind divisional favorite and defending OVC champions UT Martin who received 19, first-place votes. This season the OVC will split into two divisions with the addition of Belmont to the league.
 
SIU Edwardsville was selected to finish third in the west division followed by Murray State, Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri. Tennessee Tech was tabbed to capture the east division, earning a total of 15, first-place votes. Eastern Kentucky was picked to finish second followed by Belmont, Morehead State, Tennessee State and Jacksonville State.
 
NIXON NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE 
Senior Ta'Kenya Nixon was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award for women's basketball on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The guard is one of 30 players to be selected to the initial award's list.
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
 
EIU WOMEN'S HOOPS, A WINNING TRADITION
Since the start of the 2007-08 season, the Panthers have three, 20-win seasons while advancing to three postseason tournaments. EIU participated in the WNIT in 2010 and 2012 and the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) in 2011.
 
EIU has posted an overall record of 106-55 during that span with a 72-18 OVC record and a 59-14 record inside Lantz Arena. Furthermore, the Panthers' .658 winning percentage is the third best in the state of Illinois among women's basketball programs (since 2007-08) only behind Illinois State and DePaul.
 
LOOKING TO JOIN THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
In addition to senior Ta'Kenya Nixon who entered the 1,000 point club a year ago, classmates Mariah King, Sydney Mitchell and Kelsey Wyss also look to break the 1,000 point career milestone this season. King has 991 career points while Mitchell has 801 points and Wyss has 693, respectively.
 
SENIOR CLASS LOOKS TO BECOME WINNINGEST CLASS IN EIU HISTORY
Seniors Mariah King, Sydney Mitchell, Ta'Kenya Nixon and Kelsey Wyss have won 63 games in a Panther uniform. The seniors have a chance becoming the all-time winningest class in school history (Division I era) behind Chantelle Pressley who was apart of 87 victories from 2008-12, needing 24 wins to tie the record.
 
NIXON ON PACE TO SET SCHOOL SCORING RECORD
Senior guard Ta'Kenya Nixon has scored 1,442 career points, needing only 438 points to pass Rachel Galligan (2006-09) as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Michigan City, Ind., native has increased her scoring average every season, scoring 14 points per game as a freshman to last year's 16.3 points per game average.
 
NIXON IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
Senior Ta'Kenya Nixon currently ranks seventh in career points (1,454), sixth in career steals (206) and third in career assists (457). She also ranks second in free throws made (433) and third in free throws attempted (544).
 
WYSS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
Senior Kelsey Wyss currently ranks seventh in career three pointers made with 124, only two shy of passing Megan Edwards (2006-09) for sixth place. She also ranks seventh in three-point field goals attempted (336).
 
PANTHER NEWCOMERS
EIU welcomes two newcomers to the program this season in Danielle Woolfolk and Alece Shumpert. Woolfolk averaged 14 points per game during her senior season while adding four assists and steals per game while Shumpert averaged 14.9 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
After facing Bradley on Monday night, the Panthers will have a week off before playing host to San Jose State on Nov. 19 in the team's annual 'Kid's Day' game. EIU will play five of its next seven games inside the friendly confines of Lantz Arena.