Game Notes (pdf.)

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team opens its 2011-12 season Saturday at 6 p.m. when it hosts Midwest Region foe Saginaw Valley State University at the Physical Activities Center.

USI, which enters the season in search of its second consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division championship, has a new look to its roster in 2011-12. The Screaming Eagles lost eight players to graduation last year and more than 75 percent of their scoring output.

To replace last year's output, 13th-year USI Head Coach Rick Stein has added nine newcomers to a list of five returning players. That list of returning players includes senior guard Cootie Leeberg and senior guard/forward Kristin Raker.

Leeberg is entering her fourth season with the Eagles after averaging nearly five points per game in the last two seasons, while Raker is USI's top returning scorer after averaging 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing as a junior.

Stein brought in a pair of NCAA Division I transfers—sophomore guards Ariel Barnes and Aubrey Minix—and seven freshmen to replace the loss of last year's seniors.

Included in the list of newcomers are four players that have tasted an Indiana state championship during their prep careers—Minix, freshman forward/center Anna Hackert, freshman forward Brooke Valentine, and freshman guard Sara Young.

Saginaw Valley State also begins its 2011-12 season Saturday after posting an 8-18 overall record and a 5-14 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference a year ago. The Cardinals return their top two scorers from last seasons squad—sophomore guard Kristen Greene and junior forward Cheritee Green—that averaged nearly 60 points per contest.

Greene, who started 17 games for the Cardinals last season, averaged a team-best 9.6 points per appearance in 2010-11, while Green contributed 9.5 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest.

Saginaw Valley State won the only meeting between the two schools, 69-63, December 28, 2007 at the PAC.

Following USI's bout with the Cardinals, the Eagles return to action November 15 at 6 p.m. when they host NCAA Division III Principia College. The Lady Panthers, who were 5-19 a year ago, begin the season Friday when they visit Maryville University.

Live stats and audio for both games can be accessed at gousieagles.com, while radio coverage can be found at WPSR 90.7 FM.