Game Notes (pdf.)

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when it travels to Romeoville, Illinois, to take on defending GLVC Tournament champion Lewis University. The Screaming Eagles also visit No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday at 1 p.m. in Somers, Wisconsin.

USI (5-1, 0-0 GLVC) is coming off a dominating 73-53 victory over Coker College this past Sunday. Freshman forward/center Anna Hackert, who scored the Screaming Eagles' first 13 points, paced the team with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

Hackert, who was named to the MetroMedical Solutions Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament team following her performance, leads the Eagles with 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She also ranks sixth in the conference in rebounding and is tied for eighth in scoring.

Head Coach Rick Stein's new-look Eagles have excelled early in the season. USI, which began its season with four-straight wins for the first time since 2000-01, currently leads the GLVC in six statistical categories and ranks in the top five of 15 statistical categories.

The Eagles lead the conference in scoring (86.5 ppg), scoring margin (+28.7), rebounds (42.3 rpg), assists (19.5 apg), turnover margin (8.67), and are tie for first in steals (+14.67).

In addition to Hackert, the Eagles have been getting great production from senior guard/forward Kristin Raker, who is 11th in the GLVC with 14.2 points per contest, and senior guard Cootie Leeberg, who is eighth in the conference with 3.7 assists per outing. Raker scored 21 points in USI's 73-69 setback to St. Catharine College this past Saturday.

Lewis (2-3, 0-0 GLVC) is coming off a tough 60-55 setback to Northeastern State University this past Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Flyers were led by junior guard Labrenthia Murdock, who finished with 14 points and three assists. Murdock leads Lewis with 13.0 points and 3.0 assists per game, while freshman forward Jess Reinhart is averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest.

USI defeated the Flyers, 60-58, last year at the Physical Activities Center, but trail the all-time series, 30-27. The Flyers have won 13 of the 23 meetings since 2000.

The Eagles lead the all-time series with UW-Parkside, 20-6, and are 12-6 since 2000 against the Rangers after earning a 72-66 win at the PAC last season.

UW-Parkside (5-1, 0-0 GLVC), which hosts Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday evening, has won four straight games after beginning the season with a 1-1 record.

Senior forward Brittany Beyer is second in the GLVC with 18.2 points per contest, while senior guard Jadee Rooney, the reigning GLVC Player of the Week, is chipping in 14.5 points and a team-high 5.3 assists per appearance.

This weekend's contests are the first of a home-and-home series with both Lewis and UW-Parkside. Both games can be heard on the radio at WPSR 90.7 FM, while live stats, audio, and video can be accessed at gousieagles.com.