The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team's 11-game win streak in GLVC openers will be on the line this Saturday as the Screaming Eagles travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on #20 Bellarmine University in their first GLVC contest of the 2003-04 season. Tip-off is slated for 4:45 p.m. (CST).

USI (3-0) split the season-series with the Lady Knights in 2002-03, with each team winning on their home court.

After pulling out a 17-point victory over Oakland City University in their latest contest, the Eagles will be looking to fire on all cylinders as they take on a team that also enters its conference opener with a perfect 3-0 mark.

One question mark for the Eagles, however, will be the health of junior guard Kennitra Johnson (New Albany, Indiana). Johnson, who leads the Eagles with 18.7 points per game, left the OCU game early with a foot injury.

If Johnson cannot go, look for freshman Lauren Parrish (Shepherdsville, Kentucky) to step into the starting point guard role. Parrish is averaging 2.0 points and 2.7 assists in her first three collegiate games.

Also look for junior guard Jamie Truitt (Owensboro, Kentucky) and senior forward Shajuan Lindsey (Midlothian, Illinois) to step up. Truitt is second on the team with 15.3 points per game, while Lindsey is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Eagles also have seen consistent production out of sophomore forward Ashley Green (Otterbein, Indiana). Green is averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and a team-high 3.7 assists per game.

For the Eagles to be successful Saturday, they will have to stop Bellarmine's high-powered offense, which is averaging 95.7 points per game. One thing the USI has done well in 2003-04 is force turnovers. The Eagles are forcing the opposition into 27.7 turnovers and are averaging 16.7 steals per contest through the first three games of the season.

Bellarmine is led by junior forward Lynne Johnson-Thomas, senior center Shanta Bowens, and junior center Lyndsey Neal. Thomas, who red-shirted last season, is averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds per outing.

Bowens and Neal are chipping in 16.7 and 16.0 points per game, respectively. Neal leads the Lady Knights with 9.0 rebounds per game, while Bowens is second on the team with 7.3 rebounds per contest.

The Eagles, which will play Kentucky Wesleyan College this Monday, December 1, in Owensboro, Kentucky, are starting the first of a four-game road trip with Bellarmine. Other stops on USI's road-swing include the University of Missouri-St. Louis next Thursday, December 4, and #8 Quincy University, next Saturday, December 6.