Working out the kinks
Rachel Galligan knows it.
The Eastern women’s basketball team knows it.
“People aren’t happy right now,” Galligan said. “We’re all on each other to get through it.”
The Panthers (0-5) seek their first win of the season against Bradley at 7:05 tonight in Peoria.
The team has talked about rebounding and taking care of the ball.
Right now, the Panthers are 10th in the conference in rebounding. The Panthers average 32.8 rebounds per game, while their opponents average 40 rebound a game.
There’s also the turnover margin that doesn’t suit the Panthers.
“We need to be a lot more careful with the possession,” Galligan said.
This season, the Panthers have 106 turnovers.
In 29 games last season, the Panthers had 581 turnovers. They averaged a little more than 20 per game.
Eastern head women’s basketball coach Brady Sallee said the team has been trying to work on the turnovers in practice.
The Panthers rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference in amount of turnovers. Tennessee State is first with 115, and Morehead State is second with 113.
The Braves (1-4) have turned the ball over 90 times in the same amount of games.
Bradley averages 35.4 rebounds a game.
Getting to the line has been important for the Panthers in the past.
And for the past couple of games, the Panthers haven’t been to the free-throw line often.
Last season, the Panthers went to the free-throw line about 23 times a game. The Panthers made 508-of-699 free throws last season.
Galligan set the season record with 155 free throws last season. The team set a program record with 508 free throws made.
Sophomore guard Jessica Huffman was sixth on the program’s list, going into this season with 111 free throws. She set the freshman record. She has made 16-of-18 this season.
Huffman is now fourth all-time.
Junior guard Ellen Canale made 46-of-51 in the second half last season. She made 18 consecutive free throws at one point during the season. She shot 88 percent from the free-throw line at home.
The Panthers made 12-of-14 free throws in the Saturday loss against Toledo. The Panthers made 14-of-17 free throws in the loss against Missouri.
The Braves have only committed 85 fouls this season.
Working out the kinks
Sophomore guard Jessica Huffman shoots over an Illinois defender in a game earlier this season. Huffman and the Panthers look for their first win of the season tonight at Bradley.
