After playing three games and facing some vastly different opponents, the Eastern women’s basketball team will begin playing more evenly-matched games.

At noon on Thursday, they will play host to Purdue Fort Wayne.

These teams played each other last season in Fort Wayne. Eastern allowed a season-high 93 points in the game, but allowed scored 77 points, the third most they scored all season.

In last season’s matchup, three Panthers scored in double figures. Grace Lennox led the way with 21 points and eight assists in a game-high 39 minutes. 

This was also the last game Lennox played last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. 

Also in double figures that game were Jennifer Nehls and Grace McRae, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. McRae also added six rebounds and four assists.

Five Fort Wayne players scored in double figures. Four of those five players are still on the team, including senior De’Jour Young, who scored a game-high 23 points as a junior in last season’s game.

This year, both Eastern and Fort Wayne have records of 2-1. The Mastodons won their opener against Kokomo handedly, with a final score of 87-50.

They have followed up with two closer games, losing 69-61 against Western Michigan and then beating Taylor 84-74.

Both of Eastern’s wins and their loss have been blowouts. They beat Oakland City 102-43 at home in their first game before getting beaten 72-37 against Butler on the road. 

The Panthers returned home on Monday and obliterated Lincoln Christian by 63 points, winning 97-34.

Eastern and Fort Wayne match up evenly on offense. Eastern has a slight edge in scoring, averaging 78.7 points per game compared to Fort Wayne’s 77.3 scoring average. 

Defense is where Eastern has an advantage. 

The Panthers are allowing just 49.7 points per game so far. The Mastodons are allowing 64.3 points per game. 

Individually, Fort Wayne has five players averaging nine or more points per game, and two of them are scoring in double figures. 

Young is leading the team with 18.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. Jaelencia Williams, a sophomore center, is averaging 10.3 points and four rebounds while shooting .61.9 percent from the field. 

Eastern has only one player scoring in double figures this season. 

Sophomore guard Taylor Steele is averaging 13 points per game despite averaging only 19.3 minutes per game. 

Eastern has had more players see playing time so far this season, in large part due to the blowout nature if their games. The Panthers have played 14 players compared to 10 for the Mastodons. 

The game on Thursday will tip off at noon in Lantz Arena. When it’s over, one of these two teams will have fallen back to .500 on the season. 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]