Coming off a thrilling overtime victory over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team will lay all of its Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament hopes on the line as it plays the final two games of the regular season. The Screaming Eagles will travel to Quincy, Illinois, to face Quincy University Thursday, February 27, and to St. Louis, Missouri, to take on the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday, March 1.

USI enters the weekend with an 8-17 overall record and a 6-12 mark in the GLVC. USI is tied with Wisconsin-Parkside for seventh in the GLVC standings, but is just half a game up on Missouri-St. Louis, which enters this week's action with an 11-13 overall record and a 6-13 mark in the GLVC after winning both of its games last weekend.

While the Eagles can move to as high as sixth place in the GLVC standings, they could also fall out of the GLVC Tournament all together. USI can clinch the seventh seed if it wins both of its games this weekend and Wisconsin-Parkside losses once.

The Eagles can clinch a spot in the GLVC Tournament on Thursday with a win against Quincy combined with a Lewis University loss to Bellarmine University.

First and foremost, the Eagles have to buck a 1-10 record away from the Physical Activities Center. The Eagles are averaging 61.0 points per game and have lost eight straight road games.

USI's offensive front drastically improved during the overtime against UWP. The Eagles connected on 6-of-8 shots from the floor and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe as they scored 18 points during the five-minute frame. They scored just 21 points in the first 20 minutes of the game.

While senior forward/center Africa Sherrod (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) has been USI's scoring and rebounding threat,—Sherrod leads USI with 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game—the Eagles are happy to see the resurgence of junior forward Shajuan Lindsey (Midlothian, Illinois). Lindsey averaged 19.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in USI's last two games. For the season, Lindsey ranks second on the squad with 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

USI also has seen plenty of production out of senior guard/forward Sarah McIntosh (Cabery, Illinois). McIntosh has averaged 13.3 points in USI's last six contests, including 16.8 points in USI's last four at the PAC. She dropped in five three-pointers and 19 points in USI's first meeting with Quincy, an 80-72 setback at the PAC.

In that meeting, Sherrod and Lindsey scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, and the Eagles connected on 16-of-17 free throws. Currently, the Eagles have connected on their last 21 free throw attempts.

Quincy (19-6 overall, 13-5 GLVC) was led in the win over the Eagles by junior guard Tiffany Kelver and senior forward Jill Unnerstall. Kelver scored a team-high 18 points and dished out five assists while Unnerstall poured in 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Lady Hawks also received help from junior guard/forward Lisa Farrell and sophomore guard Lindsay Anderson. Farrell recorded 14 points, six rebounds, and a game-high six assists while Anderson added 12 points.

For the season, Unnerstall leads the Lady Hawks with 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while Farrell and junior center Courtney Vonderhaar are second on the team with 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per outing. Kelver is adding 10.6 points and a team-leading 5.0 assists per contest.

In USI's first meeting with Missouri-St. Louis, Africa Sherrod went 9-of-13 from the floor and recorded a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead USI to a 72-67 victory over the Riverwomen. The Eagles also got 14 points out of Sarah McIntosh along with a 9-point, 8-rebound, and 7-assist performance by junior guard/forward Shannon Wells (Merrillville, Indiana).

The Eagles dominated the paint against UMSL. USI out-rebounded the Riverwomen 37-30 (17-6 on the offensive end) and outscored them 36-24 inside the lane.

UMSL was led by senior guard/forward Christy Lane and sophomore guard Ebonie Halliburton. Lane went 4-of-6 from behind the arc and scored 18 points while Halliburton recorded 16 points, a team-high six rebounds, and a game-high eight assists.

For the season, Halliburton leads the Riverwomen with 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while Lane is adding 12.7 points and a team-high 4.8 assists per contest.

Thursday's game is slated for a 5:15 p.m. start while Saturday's contest begins at 1 p.m. The GLVC Tournament starts Wednesday, March 5, at Roberts Stadium.