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EASTERN ILLINOIS (18-8, 11-2) vs Belmont (15-11, 9-4)
Saturday, Feb. 23 • 4 p.m.
Charleston, Ill. • Lantz Arena (5,300) 
TV: OVC Digital Network
 
THE OPENING TIP
The Panthers look to win their seventh consecutive game on Saturday against Belmont and capture the Ohio Valley Conference's West Division Title. EIU needs to win one of its final three regular-season contests to earn a double bye in the conference tournament held in Nashville, Tenn., on March 6-9. The Panthers have won 13 of their last 15 games.
 
EIU is 11-2 in conference action, led by seniors Ta'Kenya Nixon (15.9 ppg) and Mariah King (15.0 ppg). The Panthers are averaging 74.5 points per game in OVC play with a +12.8 scoring margin and a +9.6 rebounding margin over their opponents.
 
Belmont is led in OVC play by Katie Brooks (12.1 ppg) and Jordan Coleman (9.4 ppg). Coleman has also averaged a team-best 10.2 rebound per game. The Bruins are averaging 62.9 points per game while leading the OVC in scoring defense (54.2 ppg). Belmont has gone 2-3 in its last five conference games after starting OVC play with a 7-1 record.
 
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 374-224 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).
 
Brittney Ezell is in her third season at Belmont with a 38-49 record while posting a 117-110 overall record in eight seasons as a head coach. She was previously a head coach at the University of Montevallo University (2008-10) and Northwest Florida State College (2005-08). The Alabama graduate also spent time as an assistant coach with the Crimson Tide from 2000-05.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST BELMONT
The Panthers are 1-2 all-time against the Bruins. EIU dropped the last meeting between the two squads, 91-56, in the team's season opener on Nov. 20, 1999.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers are coming off an 88-59 win over Austin Peay on Feb. 18. After hitting 35.3 percent if their shots in the first half, the Panthers posted a .563 field-goal percentage in the second stanza to outscore the Lady Govs, 50-34. Ta'Kenya Nixon led all scorers with 18 points while Sabina Oroszova grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. EIU posted 28 more rebounds (55-27) than Austin Peay in the victory.
 
PANTHER NOTES
• The Panthers tied a season-high with 13 three pointers made in the win over Austin Peay on Monday, Feb. 18. EIU was one three pointers shy of tying the school record of 14 made three pointers set last season in a road win versus San Jose State.
 
• Sabina Oroszova broke the Panther single-game record for blocks with seven in the win over Austin Peay. The previous record was six held by Rachel Galligan (2005), Laura Mull (1987) and Toni Collins (1982). The sophomore forward currently ranks sixth in EIU single-season blocks (43) while ranking ninth in career blocks (68).
 
• Sabina Oroszova currently ranks second in the conference in total blocks with 43. She also leads the Panthers in rebounding (6.8 rpg), the 10^th most in the OVC.
 
• In addition to Ta'Kenya Nixon's team-best 15.9 points per game in conference action, she has added 6.1 rebounds per game, 6.4 assists per game and 2.4 steals per game. Her .500 field-goal percentage ranks third in the OVC.
 
• Ta'Kenya Nixon moved into second place in the EIU career scoring charts on Monday night, surpassing Nancy Kassebaum (1,812 pts.). She is currently 80 points away from becoming the school's all-time leader in scoring.
 
• In the Panthers last two home games they have posted a .581 field-goal percentage in the second half after only hitting 31.6 percent of their field-goal attempts in the first stanza. Mariah King has led the team in the second half the entire season with a .525 field-goal percentage to average 8.6 points per game. At home, she has posted a .633 field-goal percentage with 11.2 points per game while going 31-for-33 from the foul line.
 
• Through 12 home games this season, the Panthers are averaging 78.7 points per game while defeating opponents by an average of 17.2 points per game. EIU is also posting 13.7 more rebounds than their opponents. Senior Mariah King leads the team inside Lantz Arena with 17 points per game with a .514 field-goal percentage. EIU has won 11 in a row at home after falling in its home opener against Bradley on Nov. 12.
 
• Katlyn Payne ranks ninth in the OVC in three pointers made with a team-best 46 three pointers. The Chicago native currently ranks seventh in EIU single-season history while only needing 12 more three pointers to tie the single-season record set by Michelle Lewis in 2002.
 
• Kelsey Wyss went 3-for-5 from behind the arc versus Austin Peay, her 19th career game with three or more made three pointers. The senior guard is second on the team with 42 three pointers.
 
• Kelsey Wyss has hit 45 percent (27-for-60) of her three pointers in OVC play, the fourth highest mark in the conference. Classmate Sydney Mitchell has added a .435 three-point field-goal percentage as she is 10-for-23 from behind the arc.
 
• In OVC play, Sydney Mitchell has averaged 9.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Since rejoining the Panthers starting lineup on Jan. 26 (seven games), she has averaged 11.6 points per game with a .492 field-goal percentage to go along with 8.6 rebounds per game.
 
• As a team, the Panthers have made 173 three pointers this year – the second most in Panther single-season history. EIU needs eight more three pointers to break the record set by the 2008-09 squad.
 
• Junior Jordyne Crunk leads the OVC in free throw percentage, connecting on 87.1 percent of her free throws (54-for-62). She is 28-for-32 from the charity stripe in conference games.
 
• EIU currently leads the OVC in assists, averaging 16.2 assists per game. Ta'Kenya Nixon paces the Panthers with 5.8 assists per game, the most in the OVC (26th nationally). Nixon also ranks second in the OVC in steals as the senior guard has recorded a team-high 68 steals on the year.
 
RECORD WHEN PLAYING INSIDE LANTZ ARENA
Since the start of the 2007-08 season, the Panthers have won 82 percent of their games inside Lantz Arena. EIU has a 70-15 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 1,351 points and ranks 11th in career scoring at EIU.
 
MITCHELL ENTERS THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
Senior Sydney Mitchell became the 22nd member of the EIU 1,000 point club on Feb. 16 in the Panthers 73-59 win over Murray State. Mitchell currently has 1,009 career points while also ranking ninth in career rebounds (664).
 
NIXON ON PACE TO SET SCHOOL SCORING RECORD
Senior guard Ta'Kenya Nixon has scored 1,812 career points, needing only 80 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 second in career points (1,812) and career assists (603) while ranking third in career steals (272). She also ranks second in free throws made (512) and fifth in rebounds (743) and field-goals made (629).
 
WYSS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
Senior Kelsey Wyss became the school's all-time leader in career three pointers made on Monday, Feb. 18 in the Panthers 88-59 win over Austin Peay, surpassing Lauren Dailey (2001-04). Wyss currently has 164 career three pointers. She also ranks second in three-point field goals attempted (443). Wyss is also looking to become the 23rd member of the 1,000 point club as the senior guard has accumulated 913 career points.
 
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 facing Belmont, the Panthers travel to UT Martin for their final road regular-season game of the year on Feb. 28. EIU wraps up regular-season action on March 2, playing host to SIU at 6:30 p.m.