Preview: Eastern Illinois Panthers at Tennessee State Tigers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking to escape the Ohio Valley Conference cellar will meet Thursday when the Eastern Illinois Panthers visit the Tennessee State Tigers at Howard Gentry Complex.

Both programs enter the matchup with identical 3-20 overall records, though conference standings were not provided. The game is a rematch of a Jan. 10 contest in Charleston, Illinois, where Eastern Illinois dominated Tennessee State 71-45.

The Panthers will look to replicate that performance and snap a six-game losing streak. Their last win came against Tennessee State. Eastern Illinois is coming off a 71-56 home loss to Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 31.

Guard Ava Stoller is the focal point for Eastern Illinois. She scored a game-high 22 points in the loss to SEMO and poured in 11 points with six assists in the January win over Tennessee State. Over her last eight games, Stoller is averaging 13.3 points and 3.6 assists per contest.

Tennessee State has lost seven of its last eight games, including a 68-49 defeat to Tennessee Tech on Monday. The Tigers have struggled offensively, failing to reach 60 points in five of those eight games.

Guard XaiOnna Whitfield is a key player for Tennessee State. She scored 15 points against Arkansas-Little Rock on Jan. 29 and had 16 points in a loss to Southern Indiana on Jan. 17. In the first meeting with Eastern Illinois, Whitfield was held to six points in 19 minutes.

The game will feature two of the league’s lowest-scoring offenses, setting up a battle for any momentum before the final stretch of conference play. Eastern Illinois will aim for a season sweep, while Tennessee State looks for home-court redemption.

Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Nashville.