SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars (8-15, 2-13) will hit the road for the final time this week, ending a four-game road stretch as they take on #24 Southern Indiana (21-4, 13-2) and #23 Bellarmine (19-5, 11-4). With three games remaining in the regular season, UIS looks to end a current eight-game losing streak and eclipse their win total from last season.
SETTING THE SCENE
Illinois Springfield currently sits in 7
th place in the GLVC east and looks to stay ahead of McKendree as the final week of the season approaches. This continues the toughest stretch of the year for UIS, as they face three straight ranked opponents on the road: (13) Drury, (24) Southern Indiana, and (23) Bellarmine.
(24) Southern Indiana is coming off a 1-1 week in which they lost to UMSL but beat Maryville on Saturday. Both Southern Indiana and Bellarmine fell to the Tritons last week. The Screamin' Eagles stay atop the GLVC east standings and hold a one game lead over Lewis and two game lead over Bellarmine.
(23) Bellarmine also fell victim to UMSL last week, giving them two losses in their last four games and four in their last eight. The Knights close the season with three straight home games, hosting McKendree and UIS before closing the season with Southern Indiana.
POD PLAY
UIS will return to pod play this weekend as they take on Southern Indiana and Bellarmine for the second time this season. The Prairie Stars opened up the conference season with these two teams in the beginning of December and fell 63-66 to then (8) Bellarmine and 62-89 to Southern Indiana.
The Prairie Stars did go on the road to beat McKendree 69-63 on January 16
th to pick up their second true road with of the season.
UIS is 1-8 against their pod over the course of the last two seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
UIS fell to (8) Bellarmine on December 1
st by a score of 63-66 but had a chance to win it down the stretch. This was the second time over the course of the eight match-ups that UIS has fallen by three points to the Knights. UIS is 0-8 all-time against Bellarmine.
UIS dropped their eighth straight to Southern Indiana on December 3
rd 62-89. UIS fell by just two points last season in their final game and has lost by 19, 1, and 15 in three trips to Evansville, Indiana since 2010.
A LOOK AT THE RECORD BOOKS
All-Time Scoring:
5
th –
Syerra Cunningham – 763
6
th –
Shelbi Patterson – 760
12
th –
Caroline Kelty – 565
Patterson sits second all-time with 235 assists and is just the third player ever to eclipse 200 assists. Cunningham is the all-time offensive (265), defensive (444), and total rebounds (709) leader.
SCOUTING (24) SOUTHERN INDIANA
Entering their final three games of the regular-season, the Eagles need just one win to secure a first-round bye in the GLVC Tournament. USI can clinch the GLVC East Division by winning the final three games and can secure the No. 1 overall seed in the GLVC Tournament with three wins and a Drury loss. USI can clinch the GLVC East Division this week with two wins and a Lewis loss.
The Screamin' Eagles are led by Kaydie Grooms who averages 15.4 points per game and 3.9 rebounds. USI has four players who average over 10 points per game and three players who average over two assists.
Southern Indiana has had the same five starters in all 25 games this season.
SCOUTING (23) BELLARMINE
The Knights are led by Sarah Galvin, who posts 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Raven Merriweather and Destony Curry also put up double-digits in scoring each game as Merriweather accounts for 12.8 and Curry 10.3.
Whitney Hartlage leads the offense, dishing out 3.3 assists per contest.
MEDIA CENTRAL
Live Stats vs. Southern Indiana
GLVCSN vs. Southern Indiana
Live Stats vs. Bellarmine
GLVCSN vs. Bellarmine
