Tennessee State red-shirt senior forward Oby Okafor has two double-doubles already this season and is averaging 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Because of this, Eastern women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee knows stopping Okafor will be key to Eastern’s success when the two teams meet at 5:30 p.m. today in Nashville, Tenn.

Sallee said keeping her from getting rebounds is going to be a huge task for the Panthers because nobody has done it this season.

“She plays with a high energy level and really brings it,” Sallee said. “If we don’t meet her intensity level and keep her off of the glass then it’s going to be a long night.”

Sophomore guard Pilar Walker said the players on defense are going to look to pack themselves into the paint in order to stop Okafor and the Tigers from getting rebounds.

Walker said after former TSU guard Kendra Appling graduated last year, the Panthers haven’t noticed another big shooting threat. Senior forward Maggie Kloak said this will allow the team to play good defense.

“We’re going to pack it in the post and make them shoot some shots,” Kloak said. “If we keep the ball out of the post, then I think we have a good shot.”

Eastern (3-3) will look to build off its last two games after performing well defensively.

“Coach has told us to build off of our defense because over the past two games we’ve been playing really well on defense,” Walker said. “Going into this game we are looking to still play off of our defense.”

Sallee said Tennessee Tech (2-3) would pose a big threat to the Panthers’ ability to play defense.

“They are athletic and play extremely hard. They can cause you a lot of problems with what they’re doing defensively,” Sallee said. “We’ve got to be able to take care of the ball and rebound the ball. If we do those two things then I think we have a chance.”

The Panthers have struggled to take care of the ball so far this season, as they are committing 16 turnovers per game.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got to make good passes,” Kloak said. “(TSU) is quick, so we have to go hard and make short and quick passes up the floor.

The game will mark the beginning of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule for each team, and Walker said it’s going to be important to get off to a good start.

“We have to be more prepared now,” Walker said. “We have to go in there more intense, take care of the ball, rebound a lot better and just do what the coaches ask us to.”

Sallee said it is important to go on the road and get a victory, especially against the Tigers, who were picked ahead of them in the preseason standings.

“If you’re not motivated to play this game, then you need to check your pulse,” Sallee said.

This is the first of two games the two teams will play against each other this season. Last season, Eastern won all three of its games against the Tigers including in the OVC Tournament.

After Thursday’s game, the Panthers stay in Tennessee as they travel to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944 or admcnamee@eiu.edu.

Eastern senior guard Lauren Sturtevant drives the ball toward the basket during the game against Brescia (Ky.) on Sunday in Lantz Arena. The Panthers open Ohio Valley Conference play today at Tennessee State.(Audrey Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)

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