If there is one game in which the women’s basketball team will slip on during its 13-game win streak, it will be Saturday’s game.

The Panthers will travel to Murray, Ky. to play Murray State, whom they beat on Jan. 21 64-57 for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.

The victory snapped a five-game winless streak against the Racers. While that win snapped a losing streak against Murray State, all signs would point that Eastern would break its other remaining losing streak against the Racers this weekend.

The Panthers’ history in Murray is not a good one. Since defeating the Racers in the 2001-2002 season, Eastern has not had a successful trip down to Murray. Not to mention, the Panthers only beat the Racers by two points in that game.

In fact, the Panthers have only beaten the Racers in the Regional Special Events Center three times during Eastern’s Ohio Valley Conference era.

Eastern head coach Brady Sallee has never walked out of Murray’s arena with a smile on his face since becoming head coach. With all this being considered, it seems that Saturday’s game is a possible slip-up game for the Panthers.

However, one must consider the way Eastern is playing right now.

The Panthers are playing the way they want to play. Not many teams have been able to slow down their transition offense this season or their beast in the paint – senior forward Maggie Kloak.

For Eastern, it is as simple as tossing the ball over a defender’s head, into the arms of Kloak and letting her do her thing. In Eastern’s last game, Kloak scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the team’s second leading scorer.

Also with 11 points was the team’s other biggie, sophomore forward Chantelle Pressley. Pressley added eight rebounds to her stat line.

Seriously, if you cannot stop the Panther bigs then you cannot stop the Panthers. Period.

That is how it has been all season long and it certainly has not changed, except for the fact Eastern has a few other key players who are hot right now. Senior guards Ashley Thomas and Dominique Sims are rolling at the same time.

Thomas is hitting everything that moves as she has is draining three pointers from anywhere she wants, while Sims has been able to defend anyone and everyone. When I say everyone, I mean it. Sims held the OVC’s leading scorer, Chynna Bozeman to 15 points last Thursday.

I know what you are saying, 15 points is a decent amount; but Bozeman was shutdown to only three points in the second half.

Everyone is playing big right now and that has been benefiting the Panthers immensely.

Saturday might be considered a trap game given last decade’s history, and that is scary.

Even scarier, Eastern is looking more and more like a championship team.

My message for Murray State: “Look out!”

Alex McNamee can be reached

at 581-7944 or [email protected]