Eastern Illinois University Athletics

A season that began with the heartbreak in the unexpected death of assistant coach Jackie Moore culminated with an Ohio Valley Conference championship for Eastern Illinois women’s basketball.

 

The Panthers (23-11, 16-2 OVC) persevered all season, overcoming a shorthanded coaching staff and the loss of five seniors, including four starters, from the 2009 team. Led by an experienced five-player senior class and a group of seven underclassmen that contributed throughout the season, EIU went undefeated at home in OVC play and put together a program-record 13 game win streak on its way to winning its first regular-season conference title of any kind.

 

Moore, who was in her third season as assistant on Brady Sallee’s coaching staff, passed away unexpectedly Nov. 4 after collapsing during a personal workout on campus. She was only 28. Eastern opened its season nine days later with a Preseason WNIT game at third-ranked Ohio State.

 

The Panthers closed out their season in the Postseason WNIT, representing the OVC in both events. Eastern was one of only four teams nationally to participate in both the 16-team preseason and 64-team postseason fields. By qualifying for the Postseason WNIT, EIU made its first national postseason appearance since playing in the 1988 NCAA Tournament.

 

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Panthers posted at least one victory against every OVC rival. Eastern’s 16 conference wins represented a school record.

 

Over the last three seasons, EIU has compiled an OVC-best 66-33 overall record and 46-10 mark in conference play. The 2009-10 senior class – Marie Baker, Maggie Kloak, Dominique Sims, Lauren Sturtevant and Ashley Thomas – helped lead the team to 76 victories during their careers, becoming the winningest senior class in the program’s Division I era (1983-present). Kloak and Sims were both named Second Team All-OVC.

 

While the experience of EIU’s three senior starters – Kloak, Sims and Thomas – was one of the great intangibles during conference play, it was the consistent contributions from the four freshmen – Mariah King, Sydney Mitchell, Ta’Kenya Nixon and Kelsey Wyss – that ultimately allowed the Panthers to capture the OVC regular-season title. And it didn’t take long for Nixon to emerge as one of the top all-around players in the league.

 

As a true freshman starting at point guard, Nixon led EIU in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. She was recognized as not only the OVC Freshman of the Year, but also the OVC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-OVC performer. Nixon became only the sixth freshman since the 1980-81 season, when the league first began designating First and Second Team All-OVC honorees, to be selected First Team All-OVC. Each of the other four that finished their careers competing in the conference went on to become four-time First Team picks.

 

The Panthers went 12-2 at Lantz Arena, losing only a pair of December nonconference games. Eastern will carry a 10-game home win streak into the 2010-11 campaign.

 

The Panthers also reached the championship game of the OVC Tournament for the third season in a row, becoming the first team since Southeast Missouri State (from 2005-07) to accomplish the feat. Eastern lost to Austin Peay in the title game after shooting a season-low 30 percent from the field. The Lady Govs had been one of the two OVC opponents to defeat EIU during the regular season.

 

The Panthers did not suffer their first loss of the 2010 calendar year until Feb. 18, putting together a perfect 9-0 month of January on their way to winning 13 consecutive games. And it took a remarkable second-half shooting performance by an opponent to snap the longest win streak in the OVC since 2006. UT Martin shot 59 percent from the field, including 78 percent in the second half, in its home arena to end EIU’s win streak. Eastern got the last laugh though, ending UTM’s season two weeks later in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

 

The Panthers overcame a Jan. 9 season-ending injury to sixth man Pilar Walker on their way to winning the OVC title. In the month of February, EIU posted its first wins at Southeast Missouri State and Murray State during Sallee’s six-year tenure. The Feb. 20 win at Murray clinched at least a share of the OVC title. Eastern blew out Austin Peay five days later to claim the championship outright.

 

The weekend of Jan. 14-16, EIU swept the annual Eastern Kentucky-Morehead State “Death Valley” road trip for the third consecutive year, taking control of first place in the conference for the remainder of the season in the process. Those games doubled as the team’s first after losing Walker to the season-ending knee injury. Chantelle Pressley, who as a sophomore started every game but senior day, made a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left to provide the game-deciding points in the 62-60 victory at Morehead.

 

Nixon broke six EIU freshman records – rebounds, assists, steals, free throws made, free throws attempted and game started – and became the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since 1995. She was the Panthers’ third OVC Freshman of the Year under Sallee. Nixon put together a triple-double performance in the Feb. 11 home win against Morehead State, the first by a Panther since 2004.

 

Seven EIU players saw action in all 34 games, which were the most in a single season in program history. Kloak started all 34 games, establishing a new individual season record. The post player broke the EIU record for free throws attempted and finished two makes shy of that record, helping establish new team marks for makes and attempts at the charity stripe.

 

Eastern led the OVC in scoring margin and rebounding margin. The Panthers averaged 40-plus rebounds per game for the first time since 1993 and posted the highest point and rebound totals of the Division I era. Eastern out rebounded the opposition 12 times during its 13-game win streak.

The Panthers will have to bid adieu to their five seniors but are slated to return six letter-winners for the 2010-11 season. Eastern is not expected to have a senior on next year’s team.