The teams that keep winning in February and March are the teams that sharpen up their game, according to head women’s basketball coach Brady Sallee.

That is what he is having his team do as it prepares for today’s 7 p.m. road contest against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Edwardsville.

Eastern is working on things that Sallee said he saw slip in January, although the team won every game that month.

“We’re working on the timing between our perimeters and our post players so they can be at a place where we can take advantage of all those positions,” Sallee said.

One of his complaints about the Panthers’ last game against Jacksonville State was that they settled for too many jump shots, including 19 three-point attempts.

“We understand what our shots are supposed to look like and all those threes and jump shots are part of our offense, but only after we explore the inside a little bit,” Sallee said.

Since the team attempted 19 threes in its last game, freshman guard Ta’Kenya Nixon said the team has been working on its motion to produce better passing.

“We’ve been working on motion to get the ball going,” Nixon said. “The ball was kind of sticking a little bit at Jacksonville State, but this week in practice we’ve been working on that.”

Nixon said the Panthers are not afraid of taking the three-point shot. She said that they would take it if it were there.

Eastern (14-8, 10-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference) will look to improve upon that against SIU-E (6-17).

However, Sallee said the Panthers have more to worry about than just their offense against the Cougars.

The Cougars’ leading scorer is freshman forward Raven Berry, who Sallee said is developing into a force down low.

“(She) has been playing very well,” Sallee said. “If you just let her catch it deep in the post, she can hurt you.”

Senior guard Ashley Bey will be a threat to drive the ball deep on the Panthers, and then dish the ball out to players like sophomore guard Melia Duncan.

“They drive it out of the point guard (Bey),” Sallee said. “She’s really quick. If you’re not guarding her, then you’re going to have problems.”

Duncan is averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 38 percent from three-point land, which worries Sallee.

“If she’s out there playing Horse because you are trying to help on their point guard and help in the post, she can hurt you,” Sallee said.

Sallee said it will be a good defensive test to try and slow the Cougars offense down because they have as much offensive ability as other Eastern opponents.

So, although SIU-E is ineligible to get an OVC record, and a win or loss would not affect the Panthers OVC record, senior guard Dominique Sims said there would not be a lack of focus.

“We take each game at a time and we focus on us,” Sims said. “We never focus on other teams and make sure we execute.”

Sims said the team is going into the game looking to work hard and get the basics done – rebounding, getting and making free throws and boxing out.

The game will be the two teams’ 15th meeting. Eastern is 13-1 all-time against the Cougars.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944

or [email protected]