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EASTERN ILLINOIS (0-0) at Evansville (0-0)

Nov. 8, 2013 • 7 p.m.
Ford Center • Evansville, Ind.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM • TV: None
Rich Moser & Mike Bradd


GAME 1
Eastern Illinois opens the 2013-14 season on Friday at Evansville under first year head coach Debbie Black. The Panthers are coming off their fourth straight season in which the team advanced to a post-season tournament. EIU lost to Illinois in the second round of the WNIT last year after beating Missouri in the opening round. EIU has been to three WNIT and one WBI Tournament's in the last four seasons. The Panthers were 20-12 and regular season Ohio Valley Conference Champions with a 12-4 record. Evansville was 9-21 last season with a 7-11 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Purple Aces were 4-8 in home games.

TWO STARTERS RETURN
Eastern Illinois returns two starters from last year's Ohio Valley Conference Championship team in juniors Sabina Oroszova and Katlyn Payne. Oroszova started 31 games averaging 5.9 points, 7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Payne started 28 games ranking second on the team in 3-pointers made with 48. She averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Oroszova is the Panthers top returning scorer and rebounder from last year's team.

THREE SENIORS ON THE SQUAD
In addition to two returning starters, Eastern Illinois will have three seniors that have played over the past three seasons on the roster. Guard Jordyne Crunk and forward Taryn Olson have both started games at previous times in their careers. Crunk came off the bench all of last season and is the Panthers third leading returning scorer this year at 5.8 points per game. Olson had one start last year against Sacramento State. She averaged 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. Redshirt senior Morgan Palombizio has played in double figure games in each of her three seasons with 17 appearances off the bench last year.

UP NEXT
Tuesday - November 12 vs. Indiana State, 7 p.m. at Lantz Arena

LAST TIME OUT
Eastern Illinois wrapped up the 2013 season losing in the second round of the Women's NIT at Illinois. It was the Panthers fourth straight post-season appearance and third time the program had played in the Women's NIT. EIU won its first NCAA post-season game with a victory over Southeastern Conference member Missouri. Ta'Kenya Nixon hit the winning shot in the game as she became the all-time leading scorer in program history.

SCOUTING EVANSVILLE
Evansville ended the 2013 season with a 9-21 record and 7-11 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Purple Aces opened MVC play with five wins in their first six games before sliding in the back half of the conference season. Evansville was 4-8 at home with a non-conference home win over San Jose State. Junior guard Khristian Hart is the top returning scorer for the team at 13.6 points per game. As a team Evansville averaged 58.3 points per game.

SERIES INFORMATION
This will be 14th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Evansville. The Panthers hold a 9-4 all-time series lead including a 70-57 win in Lantz Arena last year. This will be EIU's first time playing at the Ford Center, Evansville new downtown basketball arena. Jordyne Crunk was one of four EIU players to score in double figures in the win over Evansville finishing with ten points.

IN THE PAINT
• Eastern Illinois ranked third in the Ohio Valley Conference last year in team field goal percentage at 39.9 percent. Only two teams in the league shot over 40 percent from the field led by Tennessee Tech at 42.3 percent.

• Katlyn Payne was second on the EIU squad with 48 3-pointers made last season. That total ranked seventh on the EIU single season list. Payne was 14th in the OVC in 3-pointers made per game and 15th in 3-point field goal percentage.

• Jordyne Crunk led EIU from the free throw line hitting 85.3 percent making 58-of-68 attempts. Crunk would have ranked third in the OVC but did not qualify based on number of attempts. Crunk is an 80.6 percent free throw shooter for her career.

• Sabina Oroszova swatted away 58 shots last season to rank second in the OVC in blocks per game. The 58 blocks ranked second on the EIU single season list behind Rachel Galligan with 61. Oroszova enters the season with 83 career blocks, seventh on the EIU career list.

• Sabina Oroszova is the Panthers top returning scorer and rebounder from last season at 5.9 points and 7 rebounds per game. Her 7 rebounds per game led EIU last season and ranked ninth in the OVC.

• Taryn Olson averaged 13.7 minutes per game off the bench last season with one start against Sacramento State. Olson averaged 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game off the bench. In her one start Olson was hampered by early foul trouble as she was held scoreless while pulling down four rebounds.

• EIU will be replacing four seniors from last year's squad, three of which finished their careers as 1,000 point scorers. EIU must replace its top four scorers which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Panthers point production scoring 45.7 points per game.

• The Panthers have added some height to play on this year's team with the addition of 6-5 forward Kaycee Kallenberger who may be the tallest player in EIU women's basketball history. Kallenberger is one of five new players on the EIU squad. Four of the players are high school products with Arnisha Thomas a junior transferring after two seasons at the junior college level in Illinois and Iowa.

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH DEBBIE BLACK
Debbie Black enters his first season as head coach of the Eastern Illinois women's basketball team. Black was hired May 16, 2013 to take over the program following a long career as an assistant coach, most recently at Ohio State. While with the Buckeyes program Black helped coach the team to seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances including six Big Ten Conference Championships. Black has been part of 34 consecutive winning basketball seasons both as a player and a coach. She began her playing career at Saint Joseph's University helping the Hawks make four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. After graduation in 1988, she played professionally overseas in Tasmania (1989-96). She played in the WNBA from 1999-2005 earning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Nicknamed "The Pest" Black is the only women's professional player to record a quadruple double with 10 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and 10 steals in a game.

PANTHERS PICKED 3RD IN OVC WEST
After losing four seniors to graduation, Eastern Illinois was picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division during the preseason poll. UT Martin was the preseason favorite with 22 first place votes. SIU Edwardsville was selected second with EIU, Murray State, Southeast Missouri and Austin Peay rounding out the West Division standings. Tennessee Tech was a narrow selection as the preseason favorite in the East Division with Belmont second and Eastern Kentucky third.

WNBA EXPERIENCE
Eastern Illinois brings a wealth of professional basketball experience to its coaching staff this season. Head coach Debbie Black is a veteran of the WNBA having won the League's Defensive Player of the Year Award and All-Star honors during her seven year career. Assistant coach Sheri Sam is a ten year WNBA veteran finishing her career in 2009. She won two WNBA Championships and was an WBNA All-Star during her career. Associate head coach Kim Foley played professional basketball in Australia where she won WNBL Defensive Player of the Year honors and teamed with Black to help the team win a National Championship. Assistant coach Gwen Burton was an assistant coach in the now-defunct National Women's Basketball League.

OVC GROWS, SPLITS TO DIVISIONS
The Ohio Valley Conference will play its second season with divisions for men's and women's basketball. The Panthers will play in the West Division which includes Austin Peay, Murray State, SIU Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri and UT Martin. The OVC East Division includes Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. The division winners and next remaining top six teams advance to the OVC Tournament in Nashville to end the season. The division winners earn the number one and number seeds in the field, with a bye to the semifinal round.

OVC DIGITAL NETWORK
Basketball fans can watch each Eastern Illinois home game and all OVC road games for free online this year on the OVC Digital Network streaming platform. Fans can view games by visiting - www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com