The UIS women's basketball team opened the season with encouraging moments from a newcomer-heavy squad and now heads to Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Ind., for a 5:00 p.m. matchup on Tuesday. The game concludes a three-game road swing before UIS returns to TRAC on Saturday for the home opener against Ferris State.

Illinois Springfield (0-2)
UIS opened the season by going toe-to-toe with Hillsdale, a 21-win team and NCAA Tournament qualifier last year. The Stars led early, stayed within reach throughout, and entered the fourth quarter tied 60-60 before falling behind late. Graduate transfer Kennedy Osterman knocked down six three-pointers, and UIS turned in a strong rebounding effort.

In Saturday's game against Tiffin, UIS led 44-39 at halftime and opened with another strong first quarter. The Dragons, however, put together back-to-back 21-point quarters in the second half to win 81-73. Kayla Rice scored 20, while Julia Mingus and Kennedy Osterman added 15 each. UIS has shown multiple reliable scoring options, especially from the perimeter.

The beginning stretch of the UIS schedule features a tough slate of regional opponents, which should prepare the Stars well for the start of GLVC play later this month.

Purdue Northwest (1-1)
PNW had a similar opening weekend, defeating Tiffin 70-65 before falling 77-59 to Hillsdale at the same event as UIS. Tuesday marks the Pride's home opener. PNW went 4-12 at home last season as part of a 6-22 campaign.

Through two games, Purdue Northwest is averaging 64.5 points, shooting 37.1 percent from the field, and making six threes per game. Their starting lineup—Alyssa Cole, Riley Milausnic, Ciara Sims, Cameryn Phillips, and Caley Strahan—features mostly sophomores but is a battle-tested group. Alyssa Cole leads the team with 18.0 points per game on 63.2 percent shooting. Milausnic and Sims are also averaging double figures.

Follow Along
The game will be streamed live on FloCollege, with live statistics provided by Purdue Northwest.