After coming off the bench last season, Megan Sparks has established herself as one of the leaders for the Panther women’s basketball team this season.

Sparks is averaging just under 13 points a game after scoring a season- high 18 against Illinois-Chicago Thursday night at Lantz Arena.

Sparks says one major factor that has contributed to her hot shooting has been the offensive system of new head coach Brady Sallee.

“The offense this year is very open,” Sparks said. “Coach wants us to push the ball and look for open shots, which is a bit different than last year when we were a little timid to take shots at times.”

Sallee is pleased with his junior guard’s play thus far and expects her to continue to spark the offense.

“I challenged her to be a player and she has stepped up,” he said. “She is an all-conference caliber guard, and we are going to need her on the floor to knock down some big shots.”

Early in the first half against UIC, Sparks found a comfort zone on the right baseline. She knocked down two three-pointers and a short jumper during a three-minute stretch.

“The one dribble pull-ups on the baseline are my favorite,” Sparks said. “I work on that shot a lot after practice, and when I see it open on the floor, I don’t hesitate to take it.”

Sparks isn’t the only guard shooting well for the Panthers. Sophomore guard Melanie Ploger was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc to chip in 11 points off the bench, and senior guard Sarah Riva was 3-5 from long distance en route to a 15-point night.

“We stay after practice a lot and work on our shooting,” Sparks said of her fellow guards. “I definitely think the extra shooting is helping us when it comes to hitting them in the games.”

Sparks is finally close to being 100 percent healthy after suffering a knee injury during the season opener against St. Francis.

She missed the Loyola (Chicago) game and played only 20 minutes against Indiana State.

“She was hobbled a bit with a knee injury, and she’s just starting to look normal again,” Sallee said.