When the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team takes the court Thursday, January 22, it will get a shot at the GLVC frontrunner, #12 Quincy University. Tip-off is slated for 5:15 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center.

Thursday's contest will mark the second time this season Quincy and USI have hooked up. The Screaming Eagles fell to the Lady Hawks, 92-64, back in December at the Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois.

USI (11-4, 5-4 GLVC) has won six of its last eight games and is hoping a balanced scoring attack will be enough to top the Lady Hawks the second time around. The Eagles have had a conference-best eight different players lead them in scoring this season.

The Eagles have four players averaging in double-figures this season and another three players that are averaging seven or more points per game.

USI's most consistent scoring threat this season has been junior guard Jamie Truitt (Owensboro, Kentucky). Truitt is fifth in the GLVC with a team-leading 15.7 points per game.

A big reason for USI's balanced scoring attack has been its ability to generate points out of transition. USI's defense, which features five of the GLVC's top 18 players in steals per game, is forcing the opposition into 26.7 turnovers per game. The Eagles are turning those turnovers into 26.5 points per game.

As of late, the Eagles have got a big boost out of sophomore guard Clarissa Gross (Marion, Illinois). Gross, who is averaging 5.8 points per game on the season, has averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 assists, and a blistering 3.3 steals per game during USI's last three contests.

USI's biggest challenge on Thursday will be in the paint, where the Lady Hawks held a 40-23 rebounding edge and outscored the Eagles 48-28 in the first meeting.

While the Eagles have had consistent play from senior forwards Shannon Wells (Merrillville, Indiana) and Shajuan Lindsey (Midlothian, Illinois), they will need a big game out of junior forward/center Andrea Engleking (Charlottesville, Indiana). Engleking has averaged 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in USI's last nine games. She is averaging 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for the season.

Wells and Lindsey are averaging 11.8 and 10.9 points per game, respectively. Wells leads the Eagles with 4.8 rebounds per contest, while Lindsey is second on the squad with 4.3 rebounds per outing.

Quincy (14-2, 8-1 GLVC) has won 11 straight games and are led by former USI standout Jessica Stuckman. Stuckman, who is third in the GLVC with a team-leading 16.8 points per game, is making her first appearance at the PAC since transferring to Quincy during the summer of 2002.

Stuckman is surrounded by a host of talented players at Quincy that include seniors Lisa Farrell and Courtney VonderHaar. Both are second on the team with 10.8 points per game, while Farrell is averaging a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.

Senior guard Tiffany Kelver is fourth in the GLVC with a team-high 5.1 assists per game.

USI will wrap up its three-game homestand Saturday, January 24, when it hosts Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in a 1 p.m. tip-off. SIUE (8-9, 3-7 GLVC) is led senior guard Jessica Robert and sophomore center Tanya Guell. Robert is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, while Guell is chipping in 13.1 points per outing.

Freshman forward Julianne McMillen is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per contest. The Cougars enter their game at Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday night having lost five straight games.