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EASTERN ILLINOIS (11-13, 6-7 OVC) at Belmont (12-14, 9-4 OVC)

Feb. 22, 2014  •  2 p.m.
Curb Event Center  •  Nashville, Tenn.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: None
(Rich Moser)

GAME 25
Eastern Illinois wraps up play against Ohio Valley Conference East Division members this Saturday with an afternoon contest at Belmont.  EIU opened conference play with five straight games against the OVC East posting a 2-3 record.  The Panthers were 5-1 against the OVC East last year in the first season of the divisional format.  EIU improved to 11-13 overall, 6-7 in the OVC on Monday night as they beat Austin Peay, 65-63, for the Panthers first road conference win.  EIU is 2-9 in road games this year.  Belmont won on Saturday over Tennessee State as the Bruins took over first place in the OVC East Division standings with a 12-14 record, 9-4 in the OVC.  The Bruins are 8-3 at home this season in the Curb Event Center.

PALOMBIZIO COMES UP BIG
Senior Morgan Palombizio put together her most complete game of the season during the win at Austin Peay on Monday night.  Palombizio tied her career high with 11 points as she made 3-of-3 from 3-point range and was 2-of-2 from the free throw line.  Her free throws late in the game gave Eastern Illinois a lead while she pulled down an offensive rebound in the final minute of action that allowed the Panthers to run more time off the game clock.  It was the third time this season that Palombizio has scored 11 points in a game.

OROSZOVA JOINS ELITE EIU CLUB
Junior Sabina Oroszova pulled down eight rebounds in the win over Austin Peay on Monday night.  Her season total now stands at 243 which ranks fifth best on the EIU single season list.  Oroszova moved her career total to 605 as she became just the 14th player in school history to pass the 600 rebound mark for her career.  Oroszova ranks second in the OVC in rebounding this season pulling down 10.1 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT
Thursday - Feb. 27 vs. UT Martin- 7 p.m. (Lantz Arena)

LAST TIME OUT
Eastern Illinois rallied from ten points down in the second half to pick up their first Ohio Valley Conference road win with a 65-63 victory at Austin Peay.  Morgan Palombizio scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds to help the Panthers rally for the win.  Sabina Oroszova led EIU with 24 points also pulling down eight rebounds.  EIU shot 64 percent in the second half.  The Panthers passed out 18 assists on 25 made baskets while winning the battle on the glass 35-31.

SCOUTING BELMONT
Belmont enters the game leading the Ohio Valley Conference East Division standings with a 9-4 conference mark.  The Bruins have won five straight games heading into the match-up.  Jordyn Luffman leads Belmont in scoring averaging 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.  Luffman has done a good deal of damage at the free throw line where she is 93-of-109 this season (85 percent).  Guard Taylor Mills, a transfer from Kennesaw State, averages 8.5 points per game and has been named the OVC Newcomer of the Week six times including five of the last six weeks. 

SERIES INFORMATION
Eastern Illinois and Belmont will meet for just the fifth time on Saturday afternoon with the all-time series tied 2-2.  EIU beat Belmont last season, 60-43, in the first meeting between the two schools as Ohio Valley Conference members.  The schools played as AIAW members in 1981 and then played a home-and-home series in 1999 and 2000.  This will be the Panthers first game in the Curb Event Center.

IN THE PAINT
• Katlyn Payne made one 3-pointer in the road win at Austin Peay on Monday night giving her 71 this season.  Payne is the Panthers single season leader in 3-pointers made breaking the record of 58 earlier this year.  She has made at least one 3-pointer in all 24 games.  Her 138 career 3-pointers rank third on the EIU career list.

• Eastern Illinois won for just the second time this season when trailing at the half.   The Panthers are now 2-12 this season in games that they trailed at the half.  The other win was over Western Illinois.  EIU shot 64 percent in the second half against Austin Peay.  It was the third time this season that EIU has shot 60 percent or better in the second half of a game.  EIU shot 70 percent in a home win over Tennessee State and 71 percent in a road loss at UT Martin.

• Senior Taryn Olson did a good job of feeding the post in the win over Austin Peay as the forward finished with a team high five assists.  Earlier this season Olson had a career high six assists at Southern Illinois.  Olson has 31 assists this year after a combined total of 16 assists entering her senior season.

• Senior Jordyne Crunk made three free throws in the road win at Austin Peay on Monday.  Crunk has now made 100 free throws this season and ranks first in the OVC in free throw percentage at 85.5 percent.  Crunk is seventh on the EIU career list for free throws made with 320-of-390, her career 82.1 percent is first on the EIU all-time list.

• Eastern Illinois has done a good job of limiting second chance opportunities by opponents as the Panthers lead the OVC in rebounding defense allowing opponents only 35.5 rebounds per game.  On the season EIU has won the rebounding battle 13 times with a 7-6 record in those contests.  The Panthers allowed Austin Peay only eight second chance points on Monday.

• At halftime of Saturday's game between Eastern Illinois and Belmont, the host Bruins are going to try to set a world record by having the most people unwrapping a candy bar at the same time.  The event is being sponsored by Goo Goo Clusters, a Nashville based candy bar.

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.