University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball is looking to rebound from its first Great Lakes Valley Conference loss when it hosts the University of Indianapolis Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center.
The Screaming Eagles (11-2, 3-1 GLVC) also visit Bellarmine University next Monday at 4:45 p.m. (CST) in Louisville, Kentucky.
USI is looking for the season-sweep of the Greyhounds (5-10, 2-3 GLVC) after defeating UIndy, 73-66, in December, while its bout with Bellarmine (7-6, 2-2 GLVC) is the first of two meetings between the two rivals.
Both contests will be aired on WSWI 95.7 FM and online at www.957thespin.com, while live stats and GLVC Sports Network coverage can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI WBB Notes (1/9/18)
• Eagles top UMSL, fall to Drury. USI Women’s Basketball went 1-1 in GLVC play last week, earning a 70-65 home win over Missouri-St. Louis Thursday before suffering a 71-55 road setback to No. 8 Drury.
• Last week’s leaders. Senior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms averaged 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles against Missouri-St. Louis and Drury, while senior forward Morgan Dahlstrom contributed 15.5 points to go along with a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
• Season Leaders. Grooms and Dahlstrom continue to lead the Eagles in scoring with 17.9 and 16.1 points per game, respectively. Dahlstrom leads USI with 9.2 rebounds per contest, while senior forward Randa Harshbarger is averaging a team-high 3.2 assists per appearance.
• Grooms, Dahlstrom lifted Eagles early against Drury. Grooms and Dahlstrom combined for USI’s first 21 points against Drury Saturday. The duo finished the contest with 37 points as Grooms led all scorers with 20.
• Saturday win streak ends. USI’s loss to Drury ended the Eagles’ 16-game Saturday win streak, a run that began at the end of the 2015-16 campaign. USI was 4-0 on Saturday this year after going a perfect 11-0 on Saturday a year ago. The setback also was the Eagles’ first in a day game since falling to Michigan Tech November 27, 2017.
• USI in the Top 25. USI slipped nine spots to No. 18 in the latest Division II Media Poll and two spots to No. 22 in the latest USA Today Sports/NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll. USI also slipped to No. 9 in the latest Herosports.com Division II rankings and No. 14 in the Massey Ratings.
• Where do they stand? USI is currently ranked No. 3 in the latest GLVC Tournament rankings. The top eight teams will qualify for the GLVC Tournament based on a point rating system, which is detailed on page 10 of this week’s notes packet.
• What’s next? The Eagles host Indianapolis Thursday before paying a visit to Bellarmine Monday evening.
• A look at Indianapolis. Led by senior guard Martha Burse, the Greyhounds have won two straight games as they prepare to avenge a 73-66 loss they suffered at the hands of USI last month. Burse is second in the GLVC with 22.7 points per contest and leads the league with 4.2 steals per game.
• A look at Bellarmine. Senior guard Raven Merriweather is third in the GLVC with 18.0 points per game to lead the Knights, who have lost three of the last four games.
• What’s ahead? Following its game at Bellarmine, the Eagles host three straight at the PAC, starting January 18 against Missouri S&T.
