University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball is set to play its final two games inside the Physical Activities Center this week as it hosts No. 11/15 Lewis University Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and the University of Indianapolis Saturday at 1 p.m.
Thursday is Heart Night at the PAC and all fans are encouraged to wear red, while Saturday is Senior Day. Both games will be aired live on 95.7 The Spin as well as the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats, audio and video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
The Screaming Eagles (17-7, 10-4 GLVC) are coming off a two-game sweep in Great Lakes Valley Conference play a week ago. USI defeated McKendree University, 66-62, last Thursday before bettering the University of Illinois Springfield, 74-47, Saturday.
Sophomore forward Imani Guy (Columbus, Indiana) has taken over the team lead with 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while senior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana) is contributing 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.
USI also is getting 10.0 points per game from sophomore guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana), while senior center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) is contributing 9.9 points and a team-high tying 6.5 rebounds per appearance. Junior guard Ashley Johnson (Louisville, Kentucky) is averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 3.5 assists per game.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
• Eagles sweep first half of homestand.USI Women’s Basketball swept the first half of its four-game homestand, earning a 66-62 win over McKendree Thursday before trouncing Illinois Springfield, 74-47, on Homecoming Saturday.
• Last week’s leaders. Sophomore forward Imani Guy averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles last week. Junior guard Ashley Johnson, who sat out Saturday’s game with an injury, scored 16 points and dished out six assists in USI’s win over McKendree, while senior center Kacy Eschweiler added 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Emma DeHart contributed 10.5 points per outing.
• GLVC Tournament Points Rating System. After eight weeks of GLVC play, the GLVC Tournament Points Rating System (GTPRS) has the Eagles in third place with a rating of 3.71. Drury (4.64) leads the league, while Lewis (4.11) and Truman State (3.70) are second and fourth, respectively. Maryville (3.50) is fifth, while Bellarmine (2.93), William Jewell (2.83) and McKendree (2.77) round out the top eight teams. The GTPRS will determine the participants and seeding of the GLVC Tournament in 2018-19.
• Eagles jumping out to big leads. USI has held double-digit leads in four of its last five games and has led by at least 20 points in three of its last five games.
• Familiar foes. The Eagles host No. 11/15 Lewis and Indianapolis this week after facing the same two teams less than two weeks ago. USI will do the same thing when it visits Illinois Springfield and McKendree to close out the regular season next weekend.
• Senior Day. The Eagles will honor their four seniors—Eschweiler, Davidson, guard Milana Matias and forward/center Mikayla Rowan—following Saturday’s game against Indianapolis. This year’s senior class has played in a combined 330 games. The senior class has recorded a combined 1,769 points, 1,120 rebounds, 388 assists, 189 steals, and 134 blocks during the previous four seasons; all while posting an 81-30 overall record and a 49-19 mark in GLVC play.
• Physical Activities Center. Saturday’s contest will be the final women’s basketball game played inside the PAC. Opening for the 1980-81 season, USI Women’s Basketball has posted a 362-193 record all-time at the PAC, including a 216-80 record under Head Coach Rick Stein. The Eagles have hosted two NCAA II Regional Tournaments at the PAC—1998 and 2002—and played host to the 1998 GLVC Tournament as well as GLVC Tournament games in 2010, 2011 and 2014.
• PAC Fast Facts.
–USI opened the PAC with a 67-57 loss to Saint Joseph’s College in 1980-81.
–The Eagles’ 100th game at the PAC was a 77-72 win over Kentucky Wesleyan to end the 1987-88 season.
–USI’s 100th victory at the PAC was a 97-74 win over IUPU-Fort Wayne in that same season.
–USI evened its all-time record at the PAC to 106-106 with an 82-70 win over Delta State on December 15, 1996. The Eagles have not been under .500 since.
–The Eagles have not had a losing season at the PAC since the 1991-92 campaign, going 299-98 since the 1992-93 campaign.
–USI has had three perfect seasons (1996-97, 2000-01, 2017-18) and five perfect regular seasons (1997-98, 2009-10) at the PAC.
–USI’s longest home winning streak at the PAC is 33 games (1996-98). The Eagles second-longest home winning streak was 28 games (2017-18), while the third longest streak was 23 games (2000-02).
• Double-figures. USI has had nine different players score in double figures this year and has had eight different players reach double figures in the scoring column multiple times in 2018-19. Four different Eagles have reached the 20-point plateau.
• Up next. USI concludes is four-game homestand against No. 11/15 Lewis Thursday and Indianapolis Saturday.
