RICHMOND, Ky. – With five regular season ASUN Conference games left on the 2023 slate, EKU women's basketball (14-12, 7-6 ASUN) preps for its last two home games starting with North Alabama (10-13, 5-7 ASUN) on Thursday, Feb. 16 for the first time this season at Baptist Health Arena.
 
Thursday's game with UNA is set to tipoff at 5:00 p.m. ET, a part of a doubleheader with the men's program, who tips at 7:30. Both programs will spotlight the Rising Coaches Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Alliance with the playing of Equity and Inclusion Games on Thursday.
 
Fans are encouraged to wear black in support of the DEI games. Tickets for Thursday's matchup start as low as $5 on the Colonels' website. Fans not able to make it out to Alumni Coliseum can follow the game on ESPN+ or 92.5 WEKY with Wes Chandler on the call.
 
EKU is coming off a 1-1 record last week with a loss at Kennesaw State that split the series on the season, and a win at Jacksonville State for the first time since 2016. With the results, the Colonels remain tied for fifth place in the ASUN standings with KSU.
 
Antwainette Walker enters week seven of conference play with back-to-back ASUN Newcomer of the Week nods after averaging 17.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in last week's stretch.
 
Walker, who was tabbed to the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Mid-Season Top-10 list earlier this month, also earned a selection to the 2023 Dawn Staley Award Late Season list, honoring the top guards in women's college basketball on Monday. Voting is now available through hoophallawards.com.
 
Eastern Kentucky Notes
- EKU head coach Greg Todd sits nine wins away from 300 in his career.
- Eastern Kentucky University sits inside the top-50 in the country in; assists per game (28^th), free throw percentage (29^th), scoring offense (33^rd), made threes (per game (35^th), three-point attempts per game (43^rd), and assist/turnover ratio (46^th).
- With 22 points at JSU, Walker moved into 10th in EKU program history in single season points at 506, passing Angie Cox. She needs 12 points to pass Lisa Goodin and Jalen O'Bannon for 8th.
- Walker leads the ASUN in double-doubles (13), made field goals (206), points (506), points per game (21.1), rebounds (235), rebounds per game (9.8), steals (59), and steals per game (2.5).
- Point guard Alice Recanati needs one assist to pass EKU legend Peggy Gay in the record book in career assists and two assists to pass her own season-high 137 assists recorded last year, which would place her in fifth all-time.
- Ariel Kirkwood needs two blocks to pass 8th-place Charlotte Sizemore on the EKU career blocks list at 72.
- Graduate Danielle Rainey recorded the first triple-double in program history earlier in the season against Alice Lloyd with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
 
Game 27: Eastern Kentucky (14-12, 7-6 ASUN) vs. North Alabama (10-13, 5-7 ASUN)
- Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 5:00 p.m. ET
- Baptist Health Arena – Richmond, Ky. 

All-Time vs. North Alabama
- Thursday's game is the third meeting between EKU and UNA, starting the series last year in EKU's inaugural season in the ASUN.
- North Alabama holds a 2-0 record over EKU, claiming both battles last season.
- Kirkwood led the Colonels at home last season against UNA with 16 points on 50 percent shooting.
 
Scouting the Lions
- North Alabama is led by head coach Melissa Tiber, who's compiled a record of 150-127 (.542) in 10 seasons.
- With a 10-13 overall record and 5-7 in league play, UNA has ASUN wins over Bellarmine, Stetson, Kennesaw State, Queens, and Central Arkansas.
- The Lions enter Thursday winners of two of their last three games, all at home.
- UNA sits inside the top-15 in the NCAA in three-pointers per game (4^th), three-point attempts per game (6^th), and blocks per game (13^th).
- Hina Suzuki, a point guard from Hamamatsu, Japan, leads UNA with 11.4 points and 5.6 steals per game, her assists ratio leads the conference.
- Forward Skyler Gill, a preseason All-ASUN selection, leads the Lions in rebounds and blocks.
 
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