EIU Notes | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live - OVC Digital Network

EASTERN ILLINOIS (15-8) vs Oakland City (13-10)
Tuesday, Feb. 12 • 7 p.m.
Charleston, Ill. • Lantz Arena (5,300) 
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM • TV: OVC Digital Network
Ryan Piers, radio play-by-play

THE OPENING TIP
The Panther women's basketball team faces Oakland City on Tuesday in the team's final non-conference contest. EIU will play five of its final six regular-season games inside Lantz Arena, including four Ohio Valley Conference contests. The Panthers are 6-6 on the year in non-conference games. EIU has won four of its last five games and 10 of its last 12 contests.
 
Oakland City, a NCAA Division II and NCCAA Division I member, is 13-10 on the year. The Lady Oaks are averaging 72.4 points per game this season, paced by Lyndi Tedder's 13.8 points per game. Rachel Moore has added 12.5 points per game and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
 
TUESDAY NIGHT PROMOTION: PINK ZONE
Tuesday's game will serve as the Panthers 'WBCA Pink Zone' game in support of breast cancer awareness. Donations will be collected on the main concourse with all proceeds going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans are encouraged to wear pink.
 
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 371-224 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).
 
Jessica Mehringer is the head coach of Oakland City. She is assisted by Matt Malin and Ryne Meece.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST OAKLAND CITY
The Panthers are 1-0 all-time against the Lady Oaks. EIU defeated OCU last year in the Panthers season opener, 93-32, on Nov. 11.
 
Four Panthers scored in double figures, led by Kelsey Wyss and Jordyne Crunk who both scored 15 points. Sabina Oroszova added 12 points and 11 rebounds. EIU went 34-for-71 from the floor and 20-for-31 from the charity stripe while outrebounding OCU by 31 (60-29).
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers are coming off a 64-46 win at SEMO on Saturday, Feb. 9. Ta'Kenya Nixon led three players in double figures with a game-high 14 points. The senior guard also added a game-high eight assists to go along with five rebounds.
 
EIU finished the game going 21-for-53 from the floor and 17-for-23 from the foul line. Defensively, the Panthers grabbed two more rebounds (40-38) than the Redhawks led by Sydney Mitchell's game-high nine rebounds. Sabina Oroszova also added seven rebounds and a block for EIU.
 
PANTHER NOTES
• Junior Jordyne Crunk leads the OVC in free throw percentage, connecting on 86.7 percent of her free throws (52-for-60). She is 28-for-32 from the charity stripe in conference games.
 
• Since rejoining the starting lineup for the first time this season on Jan. 26 against Southeast Missouri, senior Sydney Mitchell has averaged 12.5 points per game while connecting on 54.3 percent of her shot attempts (19-for-35). The Columbus, Ind., native has also added 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
• Ta'Kenya Nixon dished out eight assists in the win at SEMO, the sixth time she has had eight or more assists in a game this season. The senior guard has averaged 7.8 assist per game in the Panthers previous four contests.
 
• Kelsey Wyss made three shots from behind the arc at SEMO, her fifth game of the season with three or more made three pointers. The senior guard has made two or more three pointers in 11 contests this season. Wyss is currently six three pointers shy from becoming the school's all-time leader.
 
• In nine home games this season, the Panthers are averaging 77.4 points per game with a +11.9 scoring margin. EIU has also averaged 9.1 more rebounds than their opponents inside Lantz Arena.
 
• Senior Mariah King paces the EIU offense at home this year, scoring 18.4 points per game with a .509 field-goal percentage and a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game. Classmates Ta'Kenya Nixon and Kelsey Wyss have posted 14.7 points per game and 10.6 points per game at home this season.
 
• EIU improved to 13-2 on the year when posting more rebounds than their opponents in the win at SEMO. The Panthers are averaging 4.3 more rebounds than their opponents, the third highest mark in the OVC.
 
• In 12 non-conference games this season, Mariah King has led the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg). EIU has averaged 63.4 points per game in non-conference action this year.
 
• The Panthers rank third the OVC in three-point field goal percentage as they have knocked down 34.1 percent of their shots from behind the arc. EIU also ranks fourth in the OVC in made three pointers with 149, averaging 6.5 three pointers per game.
 
• EIU currently leads the OVC in assists, averaging 15.7 assists per game. Ta'Kenya Nixon paces the Panthers with 5.8 assists per game, the second most in the OVC (27th nationally). Nixon also ranks third in the OVC in steals as the senior guard has recorded a team-high 55 steals on the year.
 
RECORD WHEN PLAYING INSIDE LANTZ ARENA
Since the start of the 2007-08 season, the Panthers have won 81 percent of their games inside Lantz Arena. EIU has a 67-15 home record including two, one-loss home seasons in the last six years.
 
KING ENTERS THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
Senior Mariah King eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in her career in the Panthers home loss to Bradley, becoming the 21st member of the 1,000 point club. King now has 1,313 points and ranks 12th in career scoring at EIU.
 
LOOKING TO JOIN THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
Seniors Sydney Mitchell and Kelsey Wyss look to break the 1,000 point career milestone this season and join classmates Mariah King and Ta'Kenya Nixon who have already netted over 1,000 points. Mitchell has 978 points and Wyss has 888, respectively.
 
NIXON ON PACE TO SET SCHOOL SCORING RECORD
Senior guard Ta'Kenya Nixon has scored 1,760 career points, needing only 132 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 third in career points (1,760), career steals (259) and career assists (585). She also ranks second in free throws made (505), fifth in rebounds (730) and sixth in field-goals made (608).
 
WYSS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
Senior Kelsey Wyss ranks second in career three pointers made with 157, needing six more to surpass Lauren Dailey (2001-04) as the school's all-time leader. She also ranks second in three-point field goals attempted (423).
 
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
From the start of the 2007-08 season through the 2011-12 campaign, the Panthers had 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 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 was the third best in the state of Illinois among women's basketball programs only behind Illinois State and DePaul.
 
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 playing Oakland City in their final non-conference game, the Panthers will play four of their final five OVC games at home. EIU plays three straight OVC games at home, starting with Murray State on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m.