It came down to Eastern Illinois and Illinois State.

Rachel Galligan had to make a decision.

The decision was made as the Bloomington native will step into Redbird Arena tonight with her No. 52 Panther-blue jersey facing familiar friends on a team that she passed on.

With family and friends in the stands, it won’t be a normal regular season game for the 6-foot-2 inch sophomore.

“It’ll be interesting,” Galligan said. “I’ve played at Redbird Arena before, so it feels like a home game to me.”

While it may feel like a homecoming for Galligan, it might feel like a conference game to the rest of the Panthers (2-2).

Today’s game with Illinois State (3-2) will mark the third opponent Eastern has faced from the Missouri Valley Conference. It had varying results in the first two meetings against Bradley (92-75 victory) and Indiana State (102-86 loss).

Playing so many MVC teams gives the Panthers a chance to test themselves against a strong conference without a 400-mile trip.

“I think it makes sense to play those teams,” Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said. “Our kids get jazzed up to play them, and I think the in-state rivalries are important. Why travel all over America when you got teams in your backyard?”

The Panthers newly installed offense continues to impress as they are averaging 94 points per game, but their defense has been stagnant.

Through four games last season, Eastern surrendered 74.5 points per game, while they have given up 83.5 points per game this season.

Sallee believes his offense is the culprit for the defense’s poor production.

“By no means do I think our defense is good,” Sallee said, “but I don’t think it’s been that bad. We’re probably playing 15 to 20 more possessions a game this year than my first two years. When you’re playing this fast-paced game, we set a goal to hold teams to 40 percent shooting.”

Sallee seems to have justification to his reasoning as the Panthers are holding opponents to 43 percent shooting, a number that many feel is the true statistic of defense.

Even with the high-powered offense in tact, the Panthers know they’re still vulnerable on the defensive end.

“If we’re scoring (94 points a game) and we’re getting beat,” Galligan said, “we’re really not helping ourselves much.”

Illinois State figures to bring a stern test, especially for Galligan who’ll match up with Kenyatta Shelton.

The 6-1 freshman ranks in the Top 10 in scoring (13.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 rebounds per game) in the MVC.

“She’s really athletic and kind of an oversized guard,” Galligan said. “She can rebound the ball and drive a little bit. She’s a tough player.”

Shelton is complimented by the guard combo of Tiffany Hudson and Kristi Cirone. Cirone leads the MVC in assists (6.6 per game), while Hudson is coming off a career day in the Redbirds win against Chicago State. She scored 18 points and dished out nine assists.

“Their players are similar players to what you might see in our program,” Sallee said.

It’s a statement that Galligan can relate to.