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EASTERN ILLINOIS (7-9, 2-3 OVC) vs. Austin Peay (4-13, 1-3 OVC)

Jan. 18, 2014  •  4:15 p.m.
Lantz Arena  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: WEIU
(Rich Moser)

SATURDAY PROMOTIONS
Eastern Illinois head women's basketball coach Debbie Black and her staff will provide a free one-hour basketball clinic for kid's following the Panthers home game with Austin Peay.  The event is open for children in grades K-8.  Also if EIU hits six 3-pointers during the women's game with Austin Peay and the Panthers win, EIU students will get six free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings

GAME 17
Eastern Illinois opens up Ohio Valley Conference play against West Division opponents on Saturday when the Panthers host Austin Peay.  EIU has played its first five games of the OVC season in cross divisional match-ups posting a 2-3 record against the OVC East.  The Panthers are 7-9 overall and have lost two straight after falling on the road at Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech last weekend.  EIU is 4-2 at home this year including a 2-1 home record in OVC games.  Austin Peay comes into the game with a 4-13 record overall and 1-3 in the OVC.  The Lady Govs won at Morehead State on Monday night ending a ten game losing streak.

OROSZOVA DOUBLE-DOUBLE STREAK CONTINUES
Junior Sabina Oroszova posted her seventh straight double-double in the Panthers loss at Tennessee Tech on Monday night.  Oroszova had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the contest.  Oroszova now has 11 double-doubles for the season to rank 13th in the NCAA.  Heading into the week Oroszova was one of just 17 players in the nation with double figure double-doubles this season.  Three players are tied for the national lead with 13 double-doubles.  She ranks 5th in the OVC in scoring at 18.3 points per game, 2nd in the OVC in rebounding at 10.4 per game and first in the OVC in blocked shots with 31. 

THOMAS PROVIDES BENCH SPARK AT TTU
Junior college transfer Arnisha Thomas provided a spark off the bench in the second half of the Panthers game at Tennessee Tech.  Thomas helped EIU rally from down 11 points to cut the lead to two points.  She was 3-of-3 from the floor and was successful on her one trip to the free throw line.  For the season Thomas is the Panthers top offensive threat off the bench averaging 4.4 points.

UP NEXT
Saturday - January 20 vs. Murray State (Lantz Arena) - 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Eastern Illinois closed an 11 point halftime deficit down to only two points midway through the second half as Arnisha Thomas provided a seven point spark off the bench.  EIU was able to get within three points in the final three minutes but Tennessee Tech closed with a run to win 64-54.  Sabina Oroszova and Jordyne Crunk both finished with 17 points while Oroszova posted her seventh straight double-double with 11 rebounds.  EIU allowed 18 offensive rebounds by TTU.

SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
Eastern Illinois faces Austin Peay on Saturday as the Panthers begin OVC West Division play.  Austin Peay enters with a 1-3 record after winning at Morehead State on Monday night.  The Lady Govs have two players averaging in double figures led by Tiasha Gray at 13.6 points per game and Kristen Stainback at 12.4 points per game.  APSU is third in the OVC in rebounds per game averaging 41.8 per as a team with a six players averaging between four and six rebounds per game.

SERIES INFORMATION
Eastern Illinois will play Austin Peay for the 38th time when the two schools meet on Saturday afternoon.  Austin Peay leads the all-time series 21-16 including two victories over Eastern Illinois in the OVC Tournament Championship games in 2009 and 2010.  The Panthers have won the last three games in the series and have not lost to Austin Peay in Lantz Arena since the 2007 season.

IN THE PAINT
• Jordyne Crunk has now made 17 of her last 18 free throws over the last two and a half games and 28 of her last 31 over a four game span.  Crunk is shooting 85 percent from the line this season and is a career 82 percent free throw shooter.  She has made 290 for her career and needs three more made free throws to move into 8th on the EIU career list where she would pass Toni Collins (1982-85).

• Katlyn Payne was held to single digit scoring for the second straight game at Tennessee Tech on Monday.  Payne opened the season scoring in double figures in the Panthers first 14 games but scored only 10 points total in the two road games.  Payne did make a 3-pointer in both contests as she has a streak of 16 straight games with a 3-pointer.  The junior leads the OVC with 47 made 3-pointers.

• Freshman Kaycee Kallenberger saw her first action of the OVC season on Monday night at Tennessee Tech.  The 6-5 center played five minutes pulling down two rebounds.  Her last action was in the tournament at North Florida where she played less than a minute against Georgia Southern and three minutes in the win over Air Force.  

• Morgan Palombizio scored eight points in the road loss at Tennessee Tech on Monday.  The eight points were the highest the senior has scored in a road game this year passing her previous high of six scored in the game at Jacksonville State.  Palombizio made four of her points at the free throw line going 4-of-4 as she has made 10-of-11 from the stripe in the last six games.

• As a team Eastern Illinois was 13-of-13 from the free throw line at Tennessee Tech.  The total tied the school record for free throw percentage in a game with ten or more free throws attempted.  The Panthers had been perfect from the line with ten or more attempts two other times in school history going 10-of-10 against Austin Peay in January of 2001 and 11-of-11 against Southeast Missouri in February of 2001.  EIU is shooting 72.7 percent from the line this year, 2nd best in the OVC.

• Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay are two of the five teams in the Ohio Valley Conference currently shooting 40 percent or better from the field this season.  EIU ranks third in the league at 40.2 percent while APSU is fourth at 40 percent.  The Panthers are third in the OVC in field goal percentage defense allowing 40 percent per game while APSU is sixth allowing 42.1 percent per game by opponents.

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.