SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play by hosting #7 Bellarmine and Southern Indiana on Thursday and Saturday. UIS brings a 3-2 record into the contest while Bellarmine boasts a 4-1 mark and Southern Indiana a perfect 4-0 record.

SETTING THE SCENE
UIS holds a 3-2 record on the season with an opening day loss to (RV) Findlay and Kentucky State while picking up wins at home against Illinois College, RMU-Springfield, and Blackburn. This is the second year in which UIS will have to face Bellarmine and Southern Indiana twice for conference play, as they are in the same travel pod. UIS will also face McKendree twice, as is always the case with their travel partner.

Bellarmine has won four straight games after dropping their season opener to #3 Saginaw Valley State 68-66. Southern Indiana has won each of their first four games, edging out Kentucky Wesleyan 85-81 in their final tune-up before beginning conference play.

SEEING DOUBLE
Zach Steinberg is one of three players in the GLVC to average a double-double. The sophomore center is averaging 17.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game and has recorded a double-double in each of the last four games.

SCORING AT WILL
UIS has scored over 80 points in all but one game this season and has reached that mark in each of the last four games. They currently rank 7^th in the GLVC in scoring average, netting 83.6 points per game and are 3^rd in the conference in three-point percentage, shooting at a 43.5 percent clip.

SHOOTING FROM DEEP
UIS currently shoots from deep at a 43.5 percent mark, ranking them 3^rd in the GLVC behind Truman State and Drury. Eddie Longmeyer is shooting 53.8 percent from three, putting him T-9 in the GLVC.

ALL STREAKS END
UIS is 0-8 all-time against Bellarmine and 3-8 all-time against Southern Indiana. UIS fell twice to Bellarmine last season but split with Southern Indiana, winning the final match-up of the season 86-81 in Springfield.

SCOUTING BELLARMINE
The Knights were the pre-season pick to win the GLVC East and return All-Conference guard Rusty Troutman, who is averaging 12 points per game. Adam Eberhard leads the Knights in points and rebounds, averaging 18.2 points and 7.6 boards per game.

As a team, Bellarmine has the best field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 37.8 mark.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN INDIANA
Southern Indiana enters the weekend with back-to-back GLVC Player of the Week Awards with Jeril Taylor and Alex Stein. The Screaming Eagles rank 3^rd in the GLVC in scoring offense, averaging 95.3 points per game. Stein and Taylor are currently the top-two scorers in the GLVC, both averaging over 20 points per game. Stein totals 23.5 points while Taylor averages 22.0 a game.

MEDIA CENTRAL
Live Stats
GLVCSN
Game Notes

COMING UP NEXT
UIS will go away from conference play for the next five games, beginning with a road game at Governors State on December 6^th. UIS will then come home to face Kentucky Wesleyan on the 11^th and Harris Stowe on the 14^th before traveling to Glenville State on December 16^th. UIS will close out the year with an exhibition game at Northern Illinois on December 31^st.