The words Eastern’s women’s basketball team tossed around after Saturday night’s home game against Samford were momentum, energy and heart.

Those three words are not normally associated with a team that lost 76-74, especially considering it was its sixth loss in a row.

But this is a different Panthers’ team – a team that believes it can win in the postseason.

“After our performance tonight, I think our heads are right,” Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said.

The Panthers’ players and coaches have questioned the mental fatigue that has been surrounding the team lately.

For a team that has six freshmen on the roster, with three who start, the losing seemed to be wearing on the players.

Even though the Panthers suffered a tough defeat at home, there was more bounce in their step as they came out with renewed energy.

“This is the best we’ve played in the last six games,” senior guard Megan Sparks said. “We have a lot of momentum. I feel like our energy and defense is back.”

The energy the Panthers had was widespread as freshman guard Megan Edwards busted out of her slump, scoring 22 points and knocking down six 3-pointers.

Sparks’ scored 17 points in her last game at Lantz Arena while freshmen Rachel Galligan and Ellen Canale scored 13 and 11, respectively.

“I’ve been in a huge slump, and it’s been kind of hard on me,” Edwards said. “It felt good to play well and help the team.”

Sallee said he used all the cliches after the loss and told the Panthers about putting this losing streak behind them as they prepare for the conference tournament.

“I think we played with a lot of heart tonight,” Sallee said. “If it’s gotta be (Tennessee) Tech, it’s gotta be Tech. I know we’ll be ready to play.”

Another positive the Panthers can take with them to Cookeville, Tenn., is only 13 turnovers they committed against the Bulldogs.

“If we can cut (the turnovers) down, then I think we can compete with anybody,” Sallee said.

Whether the energy from Saturday night was from the Panthers’ emotions of playing on senior night or because they’ve taken a step toward getting on the winning track remains to be seen.

“I think our team’s spirit is back,” Edwards said.

The Panthers can also look to the fact that they were the aggressors rather than Samford, as they fouled out two of the Bulldogs’ post players.

“We wanted to be aggressive from the start,” Sparks said. “We did a good job of getting them into foul trouble.”

It’s hard to differentiate what kind of team the Panthers are. Are they the team that jumped out to a 9-5 conference record, or are they the team that has lost six straight?

The question will be answered Tuesday night.