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Eastern Illinois (15-13, 10-7 OVC) vs. Austin Peay (18-9, 11-6 OVC)
Feb. 26 at 1 pm
Charleston, Ill. (First Mid Court at Lantz Arena)
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Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
Media Guide (PDF)
Game Notes (PDF)

Senior Night at Lantz Arena
Eastern Illinois women's basketball celebrates senior night as they host the Governors of Austin Peay.  The Panthers enter their final game of the regular season with an overall record of 15-13 and an Ohio Valley Conference mark of 10-7.  Tipoff is set for 1 pm CT.

Last Game
EIU survived some spotty shooting en route to a 68-56 home win over Morehead State.  Lariah Washington led the Panthers with 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 10- of-10 from the free throw line.  Morgan Litwiller finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.  Taris Thornton contributed with 11 points and Kira Arthofer had nine points, five steals, and four assists.

Players to Watch
Seniors Kira Arthofer, Jordyn Hughes, and Abby Wahl will all look to come out with a win as they are honored on senior day.  Arthofer leads the OVC with 5 assists per game and ranks second in the OVC and 19th in the nation with 2.8 steals per game.  Her 139 assists on the season lead the OVC and rank 28th nationally, and her 77 steals on the season lead the conference and rank ninth nationally.  Her 215 career steals are tied with Barb Perkes for sixth on EIU's all-time career steals list.  She is four steals away from tying Lori Conine for fifth on the list.  Her 77 steals this season are the ninth most steals that a player has had in a single season in program history.  Her 419 career assists rank eighth on the program's all-time assists list.  She is six assists away from tying Perkes for seventh on the list.

Hughes has evolved in her four years from a role player into a solid starter.  She offers nagging defense against opposing guards, and a smooth jumpshot that can make defenses pay.  She made her presence known right away this season, scoring 13 points and hitting 3-of-4 from three-point range in the season-opener against Lindenwood and scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the win at Indiana State.  She scored a season-high 17 at Morehead State.  Her 34 three-pointers lead the team this season.  She has scored in double figures 11 times this season.

Earlier this season, Wahl became the 26th player in EIU history to break the 1,000 career points mark.  She currently ranks 21st on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,205 career points.  Her 609 career rebounds rank 15th in program history and she is one of just 10 players in program history with 1200 career points and 600 career rebounds.  She leads the conference with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game and her 5.7 overall rebounds per game ranks 10th in the OVC.  Her 11 points per game rank 19th in the OVC.  She has scored in double figures in 16 out of 28 games this season.  Her 83.8 percent free throw shooting percentage ranks fifth in the conference and her .797 career free throw shooting percentage ranks fifth in program history (min. 180 makes).  She had a stretch earlier this season from the game at Hawaii to the game at Murray State in which she made 29 consecutive free throws.

Scouting The Governors
Austin Peay is led by first-year head coach Brittany Young.  The Governors currently hold an overall record of 18-9, and at 11-6, have clinched a first-round bye in next week's OVC Tournament.  Peay comes into Lantz having dropped three of their last four, with their most recent contest being a 61-71 loss at SIUE.  The Governors are led in scoring by Eastern Illinois grad transfer Karle Pace and senior guard Yamia Johnson, who rank 4th and 5th in the OVC in scoring with 15.2 and 14.5 points per game, respectively.  Freshman forward Lyric Cole leads Peay in rebounding with 5.9 per game, which is tied for 6th in the OVC, and in blocked shots, as her 21 blocks on the season are tied for 5th in the conference.

Series History
Saturday will mark the 55th all-time meeting between the Panthers and the Governors.  With EIU's 72-75 loss in Clarkesville on January 15, Austin Peay now leads the overall series 32-22.  Prior to that meeting, the Panthers had won 4 of the previous 5 meetings in the series, with each team winning on the road in the two matchups a season ago.

Upcoming
The Panthers will head out to Evansville, Ind. for the OVC Tournament where they will play their first game on Wednesday, March 2 against either the SIUE Cougars or the Tennessee State Lady Tigers.  Tipoff time is currently TBD.