Set to start final road trip
Eastern will look to complete the season sweep of Tennessee Martin.
The last time the Eastern women’s basketball team played Tennessee Martin, it dominated the Skyhawks (7-17, 5-9 Ohio Valley Conference) in a 74-47 slashing.
The Panthers (18-8, 13-1) get their chance at 7 p.m. in Martin, Tenn.
Eastern dominated every one of the game’s categories, including outrebounding UT Martin by 20, outscoring from the Skyhawks bench 40-2 and doubling UT Martin’s amount of points off turnovers.
This time around, Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said the Skyhawks are not the same team that the Panthers beat on Jan. 23.
“I think now you are seeing a team that’s comfortable in their own skin,” Sallee said. “They are only playing about six or seven kids, and they all know what (head coach) Kevin (McMillan) is expecting out of them.”
Sallee said that even more important than knowing what is expected of them is the fact that they know how they are going to win games.
“They know what type of equation they need to get a win and that’s what we are going down there and playing against,” Sallee said.
As for Eastern, senior forward Maggie Kloak knows there are things they can improve on despite already blowing out the Skyhawks this season.
“They play a different game than us,” Kloak said. “We like to push it quick, and they like to slow it down. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but it’s different for us and it will be different for them.”
The Skyhawks will look to slow the pace but senior guard Dominique Sims said the Panthers’ defense has to look out for all of the back cuts that UT Martin will do on offense.
In the two teams’ last contest, freshman forward LaBrica Ward scored 18 points against the Panthers to lead her team. This time around, Sallee expects Ward to be the same offensive threat.
“LaBrica Ward is a problem because she can drive it and she is shooting the ball really well right now,” Sallee said. “And with (Alecia) Weatherly and (Cali) Cupples also in there they have three different players who can put up big numbers on you.”
Eastern did not face Weatherly in its last game against the Skyhawks, but she has been the team’s leading scorer this season averaging 12.9 points per game.
Sallee said Weatherly presents a problem for the Eastern defense as far as matching up with her and keeping her at her nearly 13-point average.
“I guess the biggest thing with her is that she really knows how to score the ball from anywhere,” he said. “She can shoot it. She can go off of the dribble. In between shots she can post you up.”
Something the Panthers will look to improve upon their last game is turnovers. Against Eastern Kentucky Saturday, Eastern turned the ball over 23 times.
“We did turn the ball over a lot but I think we just needed to stay more discipline,” Sims said. “We were willing to throw the fast passes when sometime we needed to slow it down a bit.”
Sallee said he expects a strong effort from the Skyhawks who he thinks probably have the mindset that a win against Eastern would solidify their spot in the OVC Tournament.
For the same reason, Kloak said the Skyhawks are a dangerous team to be playing this time of year.
“They are here to fight for a spot in the tournament and those kinds of teams are dangerous,” Kloak said. “We are going to be ready for them, and I’m pretty confident that they’re going to be ready for us.”
Eastern will be trying to win its 14th consecutive game.
Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944
Set to start final road trip
Freshman forward Mariah King passes the ball to senior guard Ashley Thomas during the game against Morehead State Thursday night in Lantz Arena. (Audrey Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)
