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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior guard Ta'Kenya Nixon scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Panther women's basketball team to a 76-67 Ohio Valley Conference opening win at Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon. EIU improves to 6-6 on the year and 1-0 in OVC action.
 
Tied 52-52 with 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers used a 15-8 run to take a 67-60 advantage with just under five minutes on the clock. EIU never trailed again and led by as much as 10 (74-64) with 2:17 left in the game.
 
Neither team led by more than five points until the game's 12^th tie at the 11 minute mark in the second stanza. The game also had 14 lead changes.  
 
The Panthers connected on a season-high 58.5 percent of their shot attempts, going 31-for-53 from the floor. EIU hit 65.6 percent of its field-goal attempts in the second stanza, sparked by Mariah King who went 6-for-6 from the floor in the second half where she scored 13 of her 16 points.
 
Nixon led four Panthers in double figures with her 21 points on 10-for-16 shooting. She also added a game-high eight assists. Katlyn Payne added a career-high 15 points while Sydney Mitchell chipped in 10 points.
 
Defensively, EIU outrebounded TSU by eight (34-26). The Panthers also had eight steals in the contest, led by Nixon's game-high four steals.  
 
Kesi Hess led the Lady Tigers with 19 points, going 6-for-11 from the floor and 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Two other players scored in double figures as Simone Hopes had 13 points and Destiney Gaston rounded out the scoring with 10 points.
 
TSU finished the game hitting 41.4 percent of its shots (24-for-58). The Lady Tigers also went 12-for-18 from the charity stripe.
 
The Panthers return to action at Loyola (IL) on Jan. 2 in non-conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.