The University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team begins Great Lakes Valley Conference play this week when it hosts McKendree University Thursday at 5:15 p.m. and the University of Illinois Springfield Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (4-1, 0-0 GLVC) went 2-0 last week, posting wins over Alice Lloyd College (82-45) and West Virginia State University (71-65) at the PAC.
Junior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) averaged 21.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to lead the Screaming Eagles last week; while junior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) and sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) contributed 13.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.
On the year, Wascher leads USI with 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. She ranks fifth in the league in scoring and third in rebounding.
Grooms is averaging 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest, while Marcum is chipping in 11.6 points and 3.6 assists per appearance.
Junior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) rounds out the Eagles’ double-figure scorers with 11.4 points per contest, while sophomore guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) is dishing out a GLVC-best 7.0 assists per game. Sophomore forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) also is contributing 7.0 rebounds per outing, which is good enough for ninth in the GLVC.
McKendree (1-4, 0-0 GLVC), which is trying to stop a four-game losing streak, is led by senior guard Kacey Johnson and junior forward Emily Pusheck. Johnson is averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Pusheck is chipping in 9.4 points and 1.2 blocks per contest.
USI defeated McKendree, 67-53, last year in Lebanon, Illinois, and leads the all-time series, 3-1. The Eagles are looking to maintain a perfect mark against Illinois Springfield after defeating the Prairie Stars, 70-58, in the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs last year in Springfield, Illinois.
Illinois Springfield (3-2, 0-0 GLVC), which visits Bellarmine University Thursday, is led by sophomore guard Shelbi Patterson and junior forward Syerra Cunningham. Patterson is averaging 10.8 points and 4.6 assists per contest, while Cunningham is chipping in 5.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Following their GLVC contests this week, USI returns to non-conference play December 8 at 6 p.m. when it hosts Salem International University at the PAC. The Tigers are currently 0-5 and have lost all the previous four meetings to USI, including an 87-41 contest last year at the PAC.
All of USI’s games can be heard on WPSR 90.7 FM, while live stats, audio, and GLVC Sports Network video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
The opening weekend of GLVC play has several special promotions for the men’s and women’s basketball doubleheaders at the PAC. Thursday night for the USI-McKendree match-up, the first 300 USI students will receive scratch-off tickets to participate in halftime contest. Saturday afternoon for the USI-Illinois Springfield doubleheader, the first 300 USI students at the women’s game will receive a USI Athletics Santa Hat, in addition to an ugliest sweater contest at halftime, while the men’s halftime promotion is the WSWI Archie’s Relay Challenge.
