SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team begins conference play on the road at UMSL and Maryville this weekend.Game times are set for Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., respectively.

Quick Hits

The 2014-15 Prairie Stars finished 2014 with a 4-4 record, winning three of their last four games  before beginning conference play. UIS fell to SEMO, 56-73, in an exhibition on Dec. 21.

The Prairie Stars enter the 2014-15 season with a fresh look. 11 of the 14 players on the roster are newcomers. The athletic department also has a new logo.

Junior guard Meredith Marti set multiple school records on Dec. 10 against the Eagles with 36 points on 12-of-20 shooting. All 12 of her makes came from three-point land.

UIS' 104 points on Dec. 10 is the most it has ever scored in a game.

News and Notes

Hello, My Name Is...
The Prairie Stars have 11 new faces on the roster this season including 9 transfers and two freshmen. Five newcomers have cracked the starting lineup at one point or another this season, led by freshman Shelbi Patterson (11.0 pts) and Syerra Cunningham (8.8 pts, 7.9 rebs)

Dialing Long Distance
In the Dec. 10 win against Robert Morris Peoria, junior Meredith Marti hit a school-record 12 three-pointers, a part of the team's record 17 makes in the game.

Replacing Number 14
Freshman Shelbi Patterson now wears the number 14 jersey that all-time leading scorer Megan Bergerud wore for the past four years. Patterson has played well this season, leading the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and assists (36) while scoring 20 points in two of the team's eight games.

Super-Sub
Junior Briana Starks has thrived this season, coming off the bench in five of the team's six games. She is averaging 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23 minutes per game this season. On Dec. 3 against Oakland City, she scored a career-high 15 points and helped UIS rally for the victory.

Stepping Up to the Plate
Senior Courtney Knuckles is averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in her second season at UIS. Last year, the Poplar Bluff native averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds. She has scored in double figures in each of the team's last five games including a career-high 24 points against Robert Morris Peoria on December 10.

The Opponents

UMSL (Division II Era): Tritons Lead Series 4-1
This is the sixth meeting between these two teams since UIS joined Division II. The Prairie Stars' lone win came in 2012-13 Last season, the Tritons defeated UIS 73-68 in a game that the Prairie Stars led by one with two minutes remaining. Then-junior Courtney Knuckles scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.

This Season:
This season the Tritons are 4-4 after losing their last three games. Alexis Lawrence leads UMSL with 17.5 points per game while shooting 39 percent from three-point land. Kelly McGovern leads the team in rebounding (7.6) and assists (29) while scoring 8.3 points per game.

Maryville (Division II Era): Saints Lead Series 7-0
This is the eighth meeting between these two teams since UIS joined Division II. Last season, the Saints defeated the Prairie Stars, 74-67, in Springfield. Then-juniors Cassie Wolfe and Courtney Knuckles scored eight points a-piece.

This Season:
The Saints are 6-3 this season and have won their last four games. Before hosting UIS, Maryville plays McKendree at home. Alex Hillyer leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points. The Saints are undefeated at home so far this year.