SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars will travel to Quincy, Illinois to take on the #23 Hawks as the full slate of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) games begins. The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) will have face their toughest opponent of the season as the Hawks are the first ranked team the Prairie Stars will match up against all season.

QUICK HITS

• UIS is 5-5 on the season with an 0-3 mark in the GLVC.
• The Prairie Stars avoided a two-game skid with a 71-61 win over Oakland City in their last game.
• This will be the first ranked opponent the Prairie Stars match up against this season.

LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Prairie Stars took the court was on December 19^th against Oakland City University. UIS came away with a 71-61 win that day behind big performances from Caroline Kelty and Meredith Marti. Kelty recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Marti knocked down six three's in a 22 point performance.

THREE POINT SHOOTING
The key to the game will likely be from behind the arc, as the Prairie Stars defend the three at a standout 25.6 percent --- good for third best in the GLVC. However, the Hawks shoot 42.8 percent from three, which is third best in the conference. Nikia Edom is the Hawks biggest threat from deep, making 24-of-48 attempts this season, ranking her the fifth most efficient three point shooter in the conference.

The Prairie Stars combat that with Marti, who ranks fourth in the GLVC with 2.70 made three's per game.

MATCH-UP HISTORY -- UIS (Division II Era): 1-9 vs. Quincy University
This is the 11^th meeting between the Prairie Stars and the Hawks. The Prairie Stars last won on January 16^th, 2012 in Springfield.
Quincy returns three of their top-scorers from last season: Cunningham, Webster, and Gerbus --- all three of which are their top-scorers this season.

REBOUNDING REWARDS
UIS is 4-1 on the season when they out-rebound their opponent and 0-3 when they get outrebounded. The Hawks average three less rebounds per game than the Prairie Stars but hold a better rebounding margin.

COMING UP NEXT
The Prairie Stars will continue their two-game GLVC road-trip on Saturday when they will travel to Kirksville, Missouri to take on the Bulldogs of Truman State. Game time is set for 1 pm.