EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball tips off its Ohio Valley Conference schedule this weekend when the Screaming Eagles travel to Southeast Missouri State University Friday and Lindenwood University Sunday. Game time Friday from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is 5:15 p.m., while tip-off Sunday in St. Charles, Missouri, is slated for Noon.
 
Both matchups can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
 
Southern Indiana concluded the preseason schedule with a 5-5 record before the holiday break. Last time out, USI seized an 86-37 home win against Brescia (KY) University. USI shot a season-best 57.7 percent from the floor and made a season-high 11 three-pointers. Plus, USI was 15-of-17 at the foul line. The Eagles used a dominant first quarter against the Bearcats to build a big lead when USI outscored Brescia 35-7 and started the game with an 18-0 advantage.
 
Senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) played a big role in USI's hot start against Brescia, eventually scoring a team season-high 22 points in the contest. Freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) matched a career-best 13 points, while junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) and graduate guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
On the season, Shafford paces Southern Indiana at 13.9 points per game with Raley second on the team at 10.7 points per outing. Both are shooting above 45 percent from the field, placing both among OVC leaders. As a team, USI averages 67.8 points on 42.3 percent shooting, which ranks second in the OVC. Additionally, the Eagles are third in the conference with 38.3 rebounds per game.
 
Shafford has scored 10 or more points in the Eagles' last eight games. During the eight-game stretch, the junior guard is averaging 15.5 points per contest on 49 percent shooting overall and nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. In 2022-23, Shafford had a streak of 10 consecutive games scoring 10-plus points in the middle of the season.
 
Southeast Missouri heads into conference play with a 3-8 record. A week ago, SEMO closed out the non-conference slate with a 74-44 home win against the University of Evansville, which snapped a four-game losing skid. The Redhawks average 65.9 points per game on over 40 percent shooting and are led in scoring by junior guard Jaliyah Green and sophomore guard Alecia Doyle with 15.3 and 12.2 points per contest, respectively.
 
Lindenwood enters OVC action with a 2-8 mark on the season. The Lions have gone 2-2 in the last four contests but have dropped two straight games, falling last time out to the University of Minnesota before the holidays. Lindenwood began the season with six consecutive setbacks. The Lions will be idle until the Screaming Eagles visit on Sunday afternoon. Freshman guard Ellie Brueggemann tops the Lindenwood squad with 14.6 points per contest. The Lions are putting up 67.8 points per outing and shooting just under 40 percent overall.
 
After a two-game split last year, SEMO leads the all-time series against USI, 12-2. Last season, Southern Indiana made its OVC debut at home with its first-ever OVC win, 68-54, against the Redhawks last December. Then Southeast Missouri edged USI, 63-59, in Cape Girardeau in February.  In that meeting, USI's Raley posted a career-high 27 points.
 
Southern Indiana has the upper hand in the all-time series against Lindenwood, winning all six previous meetings. The Screaming Eagles swept both games against the Lions last season, securing a 73-60 win at Lindenwood and a 66-43 win inside Screaming Eagles Arena. Just like USI, Lindenwood also transitioned to Division I and the OVC from the Great Lakes Valley Conference a year ago.
 
Following this week's OVC road games, USI comes home to host Tennessee State University January 4 and Tennessee Tech University January 6 at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Tickets for the TSU and TTU games are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the USI Ticket Office online. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.