EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball opens a three-game homestand Saturday when the Screaming Eagles host Eastern Michigan University for a 1 p.m. matchup from Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Saturday is Ugly Holiday Sweater Day at Screaming Eagles Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear their ugliest holiday sweater with a special prize for the ugliest sweater. There will also be other games and prizes to get into the holiday spirit!
 
Saturday's game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin.
 
The upcoming home set will be the second three-game homestand of the season for Southern Indiana (3-4). USI began the 2023-24 campaign with three straight at Screaming Eagles Arena in November, capturing wins in all three home contests. Since then, it has been tough sledding for the Screaming Eagles, who played three of the last four on the road and dropped four straight games. The upcoming homestand will conclude the non-conference schedule, as USI seeks to bookend the out-of-conference slate with 3-0 marks at home.
 
Southern Indiana looks to rebound after the most recent setback on Wednesday night, falling 89-53 at Saint Louis University. Despite getting good looks on the offensive end against the Billikens, shots refused to fall for USI. Southern Indiana shot below 38 percent for the game.
 
In Wednesday's game, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) led USI with 14 points, scoring double figures for the fifth consecutive game. Shafford also reached 100 career three-pointers made on Wednesday. In addition to scoring 10 or more in the last five games, Shafford has efficiently shot the basketball above 40 percent.
 
On Wednesday, the Eagles also received some good contributions from its newcomers against the Billikens. Sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana), who transferred this year from Valparaiso University, tallied nine points on three made triples. Freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) also chipped in nine points on four makes from the field. Freshman guard Sophia Loden (Mascoutah, Illinois) scored five points and played solid defense in 11 minutes of action down the stretch of Wednesday's contest.
 
On the season, USI averages 66.3 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting. Individually, Shafford tops the squad in multiple categories, including 13 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing. Senior forwards Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) and Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) are averaging just over nine points per contest.
 
Eastern Michigan (1-6) will be the second Mid-American Conference team USI has faced in the non-conference schedule, as Southern Indiana defeated Northern Illinois University in the second game of the season, 66-60. Eastern Michigan will be taking on its third opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference in USI, as Eastern Michigan claimed a 68-65 home win against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in November and lost last time out on Thursday in a tight battle at Lindenwood University, 71-64. The Eastern Michigan Eagles have also lost four straight games and are 0-5 away from home so far this season.
 
This season, Eastern Michigan averages 57.3 points per game on 36.1 percent shooting. Junior guard Lachelle Austin paces the Eagles at 10.5 points per contest. Austin had a standout game with a career-high 27 points in Thursday's defeat against Lindenwood. Junior guard ZaNiya Nelson sits right behind Austin at 10.1 points per game.
 
Southern Indiana and Eastern Michigan met for the first time last season in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where USI claimed a 66-60 victory. In last year's matchup, USI led by seven at the break, but the Eastern Michigan Eagles fought back in the third quarter to take a two-point lead into the final period. USI went on to outscore Eastern Michigan by eight in the fourth quarter to earn the six-point win.
 
In last year's meeting, Raley had a sensational performance for Southern Indiana, leading USI with 17 points while also grabbing 16 rebounds for her second career double-double. It was also the first time a Screaming Eagle pulled down 15 or more rebounds in four years. Raley went on to earn Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week following the big-time effort.
 
Following Saturday's meeting against Eastern Michigan, USI will be out of game action in the coming week for final exams before welcoming the University of Cincinnati from the Big-12 Conference to Screaming Eagles Arena next Sunday, December 17.