Three weeks may not seem like a long time but, for Eastern women’s basketball team it has been an eternity, and at 5:15 p.m. Thursday in Lantz Arena the Panthers will be out for revenge in a rematch with Southeast Missouri State.

On Jan. 4, the Panthers dropped their Ohio Valley Conference opener to the Otahkians. Eastern played SEMO close, but a late first half run by the Otahkians erased the Panther lead and SEMO coasted to a 74-59 victory.

This time the Panthers (3-14, 2-4 OVC) believe they can win and head coach Linda Wunder thinks the Panthers are more prepared to face the Otahkians.

“We have been watching game tape and definitely have a better idea of how they play,” Wunder said. “They are a fast team that likes to run up and down the court, but we don’t want them to dictate the game.”

The Panthers enter the contest trying to erase a two-game losing streak. After defeating Murray State Jan. 20, Eastern was back in the OVC race. A loss to conference leader Austin Peay Monday, has put the Panthers in a tie for sixth place with Tennessee Tech.

Thankfully for the Panthers, their next five games will be in Lantz Arena and Wunder knows the upcoming homestand will be very crucial for her team.

“(The next five home games) are very important,” Wunder said. “Most of the teams in the OVC play well at home, and we need to do the same thing.”

SEMO is one of those OVC teams that plays well at home. The Otahkians are 6-0 at the Show Me Center, but have a sub-par 2-5 record away from Cape Girardeau, Mo. Regardless of record, the Panthers know a talented team will be coming to Charleston.

“They are a team that is very athletic,” Wunder said. “SEMO has a guard-oriented team so we will have to make some adjustments.”

Wunder was referring to junior guard Kenja White, who is the Otahkians’ leading scorer, averaging just over 14 points per contest. She is also at the top in steals with 2.2 a game.

The Panthers have their own star guard in junior Lauren Dailey, who will be guarding White. Dailey is averaging 12.8 points per game, but was held scoreless in the second half of the Panthers loss to Austin Peay.

Wunder is not concerned of this being a recurring trend.

“Lauren’s shots just weren’t falling,” Wunder said. “She had good looks, but they just didn’t go in. It happens to everybody.”

Hopefully for the Panthers, Dailey’s shots will fall. If they don’t, look for Eastern to turn to freshman Megan Sparks.

Sparks is the team’s third leading scorer and has made a 3-pointer in seven straight games. While Sparks may be a surprise to Panther fans, Wunder knew she had talent the first time she took the court.

“No, I’m not surprised by Megan’s success,” Wunder said. “She is doing pretty much what we thought she would do when we recruited her.”

Besides Dailey and Sparks, a big key to the game could be how the Panthers bench performs.

“Everybody needs to step up for us,” Wunder said. “Our five starters have to stay focused and our bench needs to come up big.”