EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team returns to action when it takes on Great Lakes Region foes Ferris State University and Wayne State University December 29 and 30, respectively, in the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge. Both games, which are big when considering the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional rankings, are slated for 1 p.m. start times in Edwardsville, Illinois.
USI (8-1) has won eight straight games and is looking to match its best 10-game start to a season since 2000-01 when it was 9-0 before suffering its first loss. The Screaming Eagles winning streak is the longest since they won 10 straight in the 2001-02 campaign.
The Eagles are coming off a 72-69 road victory over Wayne State in which senior forward
Sabrina Brandon (Danville, Illinois) scored 13 of USI's final 15 points, including all in a 7-0 run that gave the Eagles a 66-59 lead late in the contest. Brandon, who had 17 points and six rebounds in that game, is third on the team with 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
Junior forward
Jasmine Baines (Jeffersonville, Indiana), who had 16 points and six rebounds against Wayne State, leads the Eagles with 14.1 points per game and is second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per outing. Senior guard
Katie Thiesenhusen (Muskego, Wisconsin) leads the USI with 3.3 assists per game and is second on the squad with 13.7 points per contest, while senior forward/center
Sarah Buldtman (Metropolis, Illinois) leads the Eagles with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Ferris State (7-3) is coming off an 89-57 victory over Saint Francis College (Ind.) and has won five of its last seven games since a three-point setback at Lewis University. The Bulldogs, who are averaging 80.0 points per game, have four players averaging in double figures this season.
Senior guard Erin Miller and junior forward/center Rachel Folcik lead Ferris State with 17.3 and 16.1 points per game, respectively. Miller is second on the team with 4.1 assists per contest, while Folcik is second on the team with 7.7 rebounds per outing.
Senior guard Kristin Reinhart is averaging 13.2 points and a team-best 4.6 assists per game, while junior guard/forward Sam Johns is averaging 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Audrey Thwing leads the Bulldogs with 8.6 rebounds per contest.
Wayne State (4-7), which plays host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville December 29, snapped its three-game losing streak with an 82-76 non-conference victory over Saginaw Valley State University. The Warriors, who have played twice since falling to USI on December 19, are led by sophomore guard/forward Chastidy Miller's 14.5 points per game.
Miller had 11 points in the first meeting with the Eagles, while senior guard Cherita Smith had a team-high 15 points. Junior guard/forward Nicole Rogers, who leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game, had a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss to the Eagles.
