SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars are looking to finish their season on a high note as they are back on home turf this weekend. With only five games remaining, four of those will be played at UIS. They will face ranked Drury University (18-3, 11-2) this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Missouri S&T (7-13, 3-10) Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The girls are currently ranked 8^th in the GLVC East, and are fueled to move up in the rankings.


SETTING THE SCENE
Overall Records (GLVC):

• Drury // 18-3 (11-2) // 1^st in West
• Missouri S&T // 7-13 (3-10) // 8^th in West
• UIS // 8-13 (2-11) // 8^th in East

KEY STATS AND RANKINGS (GLVC)

Scoring Offense:

• Drury - 76.7 (2^nd)
• Missouri S&T - 60.8 (14^th)
• UIS - 56.2 (15^th)

Scoring Defense:

• Missouri S&T - 62.2 (8^th)
• Drury - 62.7 (9th)
• UIS - 64.4 (12^th)

3-Point FG %:

• Drury - .421 (1^st)
• Missouri S&T - .315 (9^th)
• UIS - .311 (10^th)

3-Point FG Defense:

• UIS - .268 (1^st )
• Drury - .294 (3^rd)
• Missouri S&T - .304 (4^th)

Unstoppable Stars
Sophomore guard Shelbi Patterson continues to lead the team in both points and assists, with 10 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Junior forward Sierra Cunningham is coming off a hot streak recording two double-doubles last weekend, with a high of 21 pt/15 reb performance at Maryville. She also leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game.

Senior guard Meredith Marti leads the team in 3-pointers by far with a total of 53 on the season.

The Prairie Stars are currently ranked second in 3-point defense throughout the GLVC.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Drury:
The #12 Drury Panthers are 11-2 on the season and just came off of their 22^nd straight win at home after beating #25 Bellarmine (84-66), tying the school record. Prior to that, they beat Bellarmine's travel partner Southern Indiana (70-56).

• Leading Scorer: Annie Armstrong (15.0)
• Leading Rebounder: Hannah Dressler (6.5)
• Leading Assists: Heather Harman (2.9)

Missouri S&T:
The Miners are 3-10 on the season, currently seeded last in the GLVC West. They have just come off of a win-loss weekend with losing against Bellarmine (64-79) and beating Southern Indiana (76-69).

• Leading Scorer: Bria Pierce (10.8)
• Leading Rebounder: Jamy Douvier (6.5)
• Leading Assists: Raetchel Gray (3.3)

SERIES HISTORY

UIS is 0-8 against Drury University. Their closest game against them was in 2013 at home with a score of 59-56. Drury has an average margin of victory of 20 points per game.

UIS is 1-7 overall against Missouri S&T. The Prairie Stars beat the miners at home back in 2012 with a score of 64-58.


COMING UP NEXT
The Prairie Stars have their last home stand next weekend as they face Southern Indiana Thursday and Bellarmine Saturday. Game times are set for 5:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Come celebrate the four seniors - Meredith Marti, Ashley McHenry, Leslie Hairston & Morgan Knorr as they play their last home game on February 20^th.

ACADEMIC APPRECIATION NIGHT
On Thursday, UIS will celebrate the academic achievement of the athletes from the fall semester. In accordance with these festivities, it will also serve as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. For this event, all faculty and staff of UIS as well as their families will receive free admission into the game.