The Eastern women’s basketball team has been battling the consistency bug of late, but head coach Brady Sallee said that time might be done.

Sophomore forward Sydney Mitchell put up one of her best games of the season Saturday against Jacksonville State, scoring 18 points and adding eight rebounds.

It was a pleasant sighting for Sallee, he said. Mitchell averages half of that, nine points per game, this season. Sallee said it was important in Saturday’s game for Mitchell to play the way she did.

The Panthers also had three other starters in double figures – nobody on either team scored more points than sophomore guard Ta’Kenya Nixon, who managed 24 points and five assists.

“I told the team before the game that our goal needs to be one through 15,” Sallee said. “Everybody needs to contribute.”

Junior forward Chantelle Pressley and sophomore forward Mariah King scored 10 points each. The other starter, sophomore guard Kelsey Wyss, only scored four points.

But it was not just the starters who had successful games. Sallee said he was happy about the way freshman guards Jordyne Crunk and Jessica Parker, and freshman forward Taryn Olson played.

In Parker’s case, Sallee said he was happy to have her back on the floor, after she had missed time with a bone bruise. Parker did not score any points, taking and missing only two three-point shots, but she played 11 minutes.

Crunk scored three points in 27 minutes of play. Her first points came late in the game when she hit the team’s only three-point shot of the game.

Olson scored four points and added three rebounds in 10 minutes of play. Sallee said she played well.

Olson had not played in five games. In the last game she played, Jan. 8 against Southeast Missouri, she only played one minute, scoring zero points.

Turnovers favor Panthers Saturday

After Saturday’s 77-61 win over Jacksonville State in Lantz Arena, Sallee said the turnover battle was a huge win for the Panthers.

The Panthers forced the Gamecocks to turn the ball over 18 times, while the Panthers only turned it over 11 times.

The Panthers turned 18 turnovers into 17 points for their side.

“Turnovers were huge,” Sallee said.

In the two team’s previous match-up, the story was different as Eastern turned the ball over 15 times to only 12 by Southeast Missouri.

Sallee said in the previous game the Gamecocks’ press defense caused the Panthers some troubles; however, they adjusted well Saturday, he said.

Panthers take two times more free throws

Along with turnovers, Sallee said the fact that Eastern took 25 free throws compared to only 12 by Southeast Missouri was huge.

The Gamecocks were 8-for-12 from the free throw line, for 66 percent. The Panthers were 22-for-25 from the stripe, for 88 percent.

Nixon nearly matched the amount of free throws the Gamecocks took. Nixon was 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Together, Nixon and Mitchell combined to go 18-for-19 from the free throw line.

Ensuing turnaround

Saturday’s win snapped a four-game losing streak, but Sallee always remained confident that the Panthers would get past it at some point.

Saturday, Sallee said he learned a lot about his team even though the Panthers weren’t perfect in the game.

Still, Sallee said he is not interested in perfection just yet, with one month to go in the regular season.

“No trophies are being given out today,” Sallee said. “We have a full month of basketball left.”

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

Chantelle Pressley, a junior forward, defends a Jacksonville State player Saturday in Lantz Arena. Pressley had six rebounds and 10 points against the Gamecocks. (Audrey Sawyer

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