The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship will be decided this weekend in Nashville, Tenn., with the semifinals beginning today in Bridgestone Arena.

The Eastern women’s basketball team will begin this weekend’s festivities at noon against No. 4 Tennessee Martin.

The No. 1 Panthers freshly remember the Skyhawks upsetting them 71-64 Feb. 18 for their first and only loss of 2010.

Senior forward Maggie Kloak said the Panthers want payback, but the team is focusing more on their preparation.

“Yeah, sure, we are thinking about revenge,” Kloak said. “But we are really focused on ourselves right now and that’s all we can do.”

Eastern head coach Brady Sallee does not think last game affects today’s contest.

“Whether you beat a team three times in a row or you upset somebody before, when the ball goes up in the air nobody is really thinking about that,” Sallee said.

Revenge will leave Eastern’s mind when the ball is tipped because the game plan is more vital, Kloak said.

“With the time of year it is right now, it’s not about who you play; it’s about how you play,” Kloak said.

Kloak said her team will concentrate on defense and rebounding, especially after last game’s effort against the Skyhawks.

Eastern narrowly won the rebounding battle 26-25 during Feb. 18’s 71-64 loss to Tennessee Martin.

Although winning the rebounding battle, Eastern was demolished with the Skyhawks shooting 77 percent in the second half.

“We can’t let them shoot 70 percent in the second half,” Sallee said. “That’s going to be huge. Defensively, I thought we were as bad as we have been all season.”

Sallee said Eastern’s tempo will be important offensively to produce transitional scoring.

The Panthers scored six fast break points in the two teams’ previous match-up.

“From an offensive stand point, we have to be aggressive and attack and try to get some transition buckets,” Sallee said.

In the end, Sallee said the best overall team would win.

“At this time of year, you have to be the best team on the floor,” Sallee said. “If you are, you keep playing. If you’re not, then you go home. It doesn’t matter who were playing.”

Kloak said she expects both teams to come out of the gate with confidence and expects a good fight from the Skyhawks.

“We’ve worked hard to get to this point and I don’t think we are going to let too much get into the way of our goals right now,” Kloak said.

During the tournament weekend, Kloak said the Panthers would carry much on their shoulders.

“We are ready to do this for each other and we’ve had a lot of hardships this season, with Jackie (Moore) and everything,” Kloak said. “I think we have a lot on our shoulders right now. We are ready to come in and finish what we started.”

While anxiously awaiting the tip-off, Kloak said the team is expecting the Skyhawks’ best.

“Right now, it’s do or die and that’s the mindset coming into this,” Kloak said. “We’re going to be ready for a fight, and I’m sure they are ready for one too.”

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