Among some of the dominant post players in the Ohio Valley Conference, Andreika Jackson stands out as one of the best and most underrated.

Even though the Tennessee-Martin senior is listed at 5 feet, 9 inches, it’s her strength and stocky build that make her one of the toughest players to guard in the paint.

In Eastern’s 70-64 loss at Martin, Jackson dominated Panthers’ center Rachel Galligan. Although Galligan has about five inches on her OVC counterpart, Jackson still scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.

It’s a game that Galligan would like to forget.

“I kind of looked at her last year and said, ‘She’s not that tall, I can handle her,” Galligan said. “She’s one of the hardest players to guard. She’s a really good player with a lot of strength.”

Jackson won’t be the only player the Panthers will have to key on tonight’s game at Martin. The Skyhawks (8-6, 3-3 OVC) also feature Phyllisha Mitchell, who is built similar to Jackson.

The sophomore, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, has enjoyed a breakout season, increasing her points-per-game average from 3.7 to 12.8 and her rebounds from 1.7 to 9.1.

“It just makes our jobs a little tougher,” Sallee said. “Her and Andreika are very similar players. It’ll be up to us to get to the boards.”

During the Panthers (5-11, 2-5 OVC) five-game losing streak, they have surrendered 15.2 offensive rebounds per game. The task could become even more daunting with the recent ankle injury to Julie Lipperd.

With post players that are smaller and more physical, Sallee knows the importance of keeping Galligan and his other post players out of foul trouble.

“They’re unconventional post players,” Sallee said. “They do a lot of pump fakes and get you up in the air. The key with (Jackson and Mitchell) is to not let them get too deep in the paint.”

Galligan anticipates the Panthers playing a lot more zone defense to help counter the size difference. Sallee has also hinted at a bigger frontcourt for most of the game.

“Their post players are real quick off their first step,” Galligan said. “It’s a situation where we have to take advantage of our height and surround them. It’ll definitely be a team effort.”

In losing seven of their last eight games, the Panthers have struggled to find a consistent third scorer. Last season, Eastern featured Galligan, along with Megan Edwards and Megan Sparks to help balance the offense.

With Sparks graduating and Edwards out for the season with a knee injury, Galligan and Jessica Huffman have shouldered most of the scoring burden.

“One night it could be Meggie (Eck) or (Ashley) Thomas,” Galligan said. “It’s hard to find consistency, but we haven’t lost trust in any of them.”