After the pregame Senior Night festivities, Eastern women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee paid his five seniors their dues as they were announced as the game’s starting five.

While the pregame festivities had a happy, celebratory feel, the actual game was not so easy as the Panthers outlasted Tennessee State 79-67 in a gritty fight Saturday in Lantz Arena.

In a game featuring 41 turnovers and 48 personal fouls, Sallee said the Panthers had no choice but to play as the Tigers dictated.

“If we would’ve tried to play finesse and be cutie cute then we would’ve gotten our butts kicked,” Sallee said. “And I’m not real sure that we aren’t better playing like that.”

With the all-senior starting line-up, Eastern gained an 11-7 lead in the first five minutes.

“I thought they did a great job,” Sallee said. “There wasn’t any slippage as far as I could see. I think they played their tails off which was exactly what I wanted them to do.”

Sallee said he was paying the seniors their dues by starting them and having them contribute the opening minutes.

Once the regular starting five entered the game, the Panthers outscored the Tigers 22-19 for a 33-26 lead at halftime.

The Panthers came out of the locker room and outshot the Tigers from the free throw line and out-rebounded them, which Sallee said was a good winning combination.

While the Panthers turned the ball over 23 times, Sallee said he gives the Tigers credit for playing hard.

“We turned the ball over like we got paid for it,” Sallee said. “I give Tennessee State a lot of credit. Clearly they had a lot riding on this game and they showed it.

“They played with a lot of emotion and they had no thoughts other than winning. Not a lot of people come in here thinking that so I give them a lot of credit.”

A pair of freshmen, guard Ta’Kenya Nixon and forward Sydney Mitchell, led the Panthers as they pushed to the team’s biggest lead in the second half, leading by 13 points.

Nixon scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, while Mitchell notched seven of her 12 that same half, too.

“I was just feeling it,” Mitchell said. “I was into the game and I was ready to go. I wasn’t really thinking about what I was doing I just wanted to have fun.”

Nixon managed the score proficiently despite sitting on the bench for an extended period with a cut lip.

Nixon said her absence to the court frustrated her as the Tigers narrowed Eastern’s lead.

“It was frustrating watching the lead getting cut when I wasn’t able to be in the game,” Nixon said.

Eastern outscored the Tigers 46-41 in the second half on its way to a 12-point victory, a fitting win for the seniors.

“You can’t ask for a better senior night,” Sallee said. “For this group to win a championship, do it on their home floor, in front of the crowd we did it in front of they deserve nothing but what they got.”

The game ended the regular season, but more basketball is to come.

Eastern will begin its quest for an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title Tuesday for the quarterfinal game against Tennessee State at 5:30 p.m. in Lantz Arena.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected].