EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball Coach Rick Stein gets his second crack at career win No. 300 Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles resume Great Lakes Valley Conference play against William Jewell College.
Thursday’s game will be Stein’s 500th at the helm of the USI women’s basketball program, which also hosts Rockhurst University Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Eagles (10-2, 2-0 GLVC) look to shake off a disappointing end to their non-conference schedule. USI suffered a 66-65 setback to Midwest Region foe Ohio Dominican University last Friday despite leading by as many as 14 points in the first half.
Junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) had 20 points to lead the Eagles in defeat. Grooms, who has reached the 20-point plateau in four of USI’s last five games, ranks fifth in the GLVC with a team-high 16.1 points per contest.
William Jewell (5-5, 2-1 GLVC) enters Thursday’s game on the heels of a 79-69 win over Graceland College Monday night. Senior guard Maddie Nelson had eight assists to go along with a career-high 23 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Cardinals. Nelson, the GLVC Player of the Week for her efforts, leads William Jewell with 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and a league-best 4.7 assists per game.
Rockhurst (8-2, 3-0 GLVC) brings a six-game winning streak into its game at No. 4 Bellarmine University Thursday, but has not played since December 11. Senior guard Mary Dineen leads the Hawks and ranks third in the GLVC with 19.2 points per outing.
WSWI 95.7 FM will carry both games this weekend, while live audio, stats, and GLVC Sports Network coverage can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
- Win streak ends at five.USI Women’s Basketball saw a five-game win streak come to an end with its 66-65 setback to Midwest Region foe Ohio Dominican. USI had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms’ game-winning shot missed its mark. Grooms led the Eagles with 20 points, while senior forward Tasia Brewer had a USI career-high 13 points. Junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom added 11 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
- 300 in 500.Head Coach Rick Steingets his second chance at career win No. 300 when the Eagles host William Jewell. If USI wins, Stein will earn his 300th win in his 500th career game at the helm of USI. Stein, the all-time winningest coach in program history, has been a part of 458 victories during his 26 years at USI, including 159 in eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Eagles.
- Grooms continues to be headache for opposing defenses. Junior guard/forward Kaydie Groomshas reached the 20-point plateau in four of USI’s last five games and a team-best six times this season. She currently ranks fifth in the GLVC with 16.1 points per contest.
- Marcum leads GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior guard Tanner Marcumleads the GLVC and ranks eighth, nationally, with her 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. The next closest player to Marcum in the GLVC has a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- USI in statistical rankings.USI begins the week leading the GLVC in nine statistical rankings and is in the top five of 16 GLVC statistical categories. The Eagles also rank in the top 25 of 12 NCAA Division II statistical rankings.
- Margin of victory.USI’s loss to Ohio Dominican marked the first time this year the Eagles have played a game decided by less than 10 points. Each of USI’s first 11 games were decided by double-digits and in USI’s 10 wins, eight were decided by at least 26 points.
- Scouting the opposition (William Jewell).Senior guard Maddie Nelson is averaging 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game to lead the Cardinals, who snapped a three-game losing streak with their 79-69 win over Graceland Monday night.
- Last year against Jewell. USI saw a seven-point halftime lead slip away in a 68-65 setback to the Cardinals in Liberty, Missouri, last year. Tanner Marcum had 22 points to lead the Eagles, while Hannah Wascher chipped in 17 points and 14 rebounds. The loss was the first of 10 straight for the Eagles. Maddie Nelson had nine points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists to lead William Jewell.
- Scouting the opposition (Rockhurst).Senior guard Mary Dineen is averaging 19.2 points per game to lead the Hawks, who have won eight of their first 10 games and all three of their GLVC contests. The Hawks have won six straight games, but have not played since December 11.
- Last year against Rockhurst. USI shot 49.0 percent from the field and got 25 points from Tanner Marcum as the Eagles earned the 68-54 win over the Hawks in Kansas City, Missouri. USI outscored Rockhurst 17-11 in the third period after using a 5-0 run late in the second quarter to build momentum. Mary Dineen had 27 points to pace the Hawks, who shot just 29.8 percent from the field.
- Record book watch. Senior guard Tanner Marcumand junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms are both looking to climb up the scoring record book at USI. Marcum is tied for 20th all-time with 843 career points, while Grooms is 29th with 761 career points.
