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EASTERN ILLINOIS (19-10) vs UT Martin (17-14)
Friday, March 8 • Noon
Nashville, Tenn. • Municipal Auditorium (8,000) 
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM • TV: ESPN3
Ryan Piers, radio play-by-play

THE OPENING TIP
After capturing the school's second regular-season conference title in the last four years, the Panther women's basketball team travels to the Music City for the OVC Tournament on March 6-9. Under the direction of first-year head coach Lee Buchan, the Panthers posted a 12-4 conference record to capture the No. 1 seed and earn a double-bye into the tournament's semifinal round.

The Panthers are led by All-OVC selections Mariah King and Ta'Kenya Nixon who combine to average 28.3 points per game. EIU takes the conference's second-highest scoring offense (68.9 ppg) into tournament action this weekend. All told, the Panther offense is balanced as seven players average more than six points per game.

EIU will play No. 4 seed UT Martin who advanced to the semifinals by defeating No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky, 78-63, on Thursday, March 7. Jasmine Newsome scored an OVC Tournament record 41 points to lead the Skyhawks. 

BUCHANAN NAMED OVC COACH OF THE YEAR
EIU head women's basketball coach Lee Buchanan was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year as selected by head coaches and sports information directors on Tuesday, March 5.

Buchanan, in his first year as the head coach of the Panthers, led the squad to its second conference title in the last four seasons. EIU shares the conference title with Tennessee Tech who captured the east division as both squads finished the conference season with identical 12-4 records.

In 20 seasons as a head coach, Buchanan has been named coach of the year six times while capturing a total of seven regular-season championships. He has 375 career victories with head coaching stints at Brescia University (1986-98), Francis Marion (1998-2002) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (2003-07).

NIXON, KING EARN ALL-OVC HONORS
Seniors Ta'Kenya Nixon and Mariah King both earned all-conference honors on Tuesday, March 5 as selected by conference head coaches and sports information directors. EIU and UT Martin were the only two schools in the OVC to have two players named to either the first or second team.

Nixon was named to the All-OVC First Team for the fourth time in her career, becoming the first player in school history to earn all-conference first-team honors four times. The senior guard leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg), assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.6 spg) while ranking fourth in rebounding (6.0 rpg). She leads the conference in assists while ranking 24th nationally.

King was named to All-OVC Second Team for the third consecutive season. The senior forward leads the team in field-goal percentage (.446) while ranking second in scoring (13.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.2 rpg).
 
LIVE COVERAGE OF THE OVC TOURNAMENT
Panther fans in Coles County and surrounding areas can watch the women's basketball team live on WEIU – check with your cable providers to ensure availability. Fans can also watch the games on ESPN3 with commentators Bob Belvin and Jim Tirey. Live radio coverage will be on Hit Mix 88.9 with Ryan Piers on the call.

EIU IN THE OVC TOURNAMENT
The Panthers are 6-11 all-time in the OVC Tournament, including a 0-2 record the last two seasons. After capturing the school's first regular-season conference title in 2009-10, the Panthers won their first two tournament games before being upset by Austin Peay in the championship game, 69-60.

PANTHERS WIN OVC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
The Panther women's basketball team won the 2012-13 regular-season conference title, its second conference championship in the last four years. EIU also won the 2009-10 regular-season title.