BOX (PDF)  |  BOX (HTML)  |  Photo Gallery by Sandy King

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Juniors Sydney Mitchell and Ta'Kenya Nixon combined to score 41 points to lead the Panther women's basketball team to a 64-51 win over Eastern Kentucky on Monday night inside Lantz Arena. EIU improves to 20-4 overall and 11-0 in Ohio Valley Conference action.
 
The Panthers led from start to finish in a contest that was closely played. EIU never led by double figures in the first half, taking a 28-22 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Panthers responded by using an 11-7 run to start the second half and take their first double-digit lead, 39-29, with 12:31 left in the game. EKU would cut its deficit to single digits six times over the next six minutes, but EIU pulled away with a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 60-42, with just under three and a half minutes remaining on the clock. EKU out scored the Panthers 9-4 in the closing minutes, but the deficit was too large to erase for the Lady Colonels.
 
Mitchell scored a game-high 23 points to lead EIU while Nixon added 18 points. Nixon also dished out four assists and went 10-for-11 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Jordyne Crunk added eight points and senior Chantelle Pressley chipped in seven.
 
Defensively, the Panthers scored 21 points off of 20 EKU turnovers. Pressley recorded a game-high seven steals to go along with two blocks. Both Mitchell and Pressley had nine rebounds in the game.
 
The Panthers hit 41.5 percent (22-for-53) of its shots from the floor and went 19-for-25 from the foul line. EKU went 18-for-57 from the floor, connecting on 31.6 percent of its field goals.
 
Raechele Gray paced the Lady Colonels with 13 points while Marie Carpenter added 11. Alex Jones nearly missed a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds.
 
With the win, the Panthers remain undefeated inside Lantz Arena with a perfect 12-0 record. EIU has now won 20 consecutive OVC games dating back to last season in addition to capturing its third 20-win season under head coach Brady Sallee and second 20-win season in the last three years. EIU has also won 13 consecutive games, tying the school record set by the 2009-10 squad.
 
The Panthers return to action at UT Martin on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks are in second place in the OVC standings with a 16-8 overall record and 10-1 record in conference play.