EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Days after clinching its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth, University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball begins a four-game road swing this week against the University of Tennessee at Martin on Thursday and the University of Arkansas Little Rock on Saturday. Thursday's game at UT Martin tips off at 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's game at Little Rock is slated for 1 p.m.
 
Both matchups can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com). 
 
Southern Indiana (16-6, 11-1) starts its longest road stretch of the season and second road stint in the month of February on Thursday with its only regular season meeting against UT Martin. USI enters Thursday in first place in the OVC standings by three games.
 
Last week, the Screaming Eagles bounced back from their first OVC loss by sweeping a two-game homestand at Screaming Eagles Arena against Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. USI defeated Eastern Illinois, 70-60, last Thursday before winning 75-58 on Saturday against SIUE. Saturday's win against the Cougars helped USI clinch its first-ever OVC Tournament berth, avenging last season's result when USI missed out on the OVC postseason due to a tiebreaker.
 
On Saturday, the game featured a bit of a slow start for both teams. However, USI found its groove in the second quarter on both ends of the court, outscoring SIUE 23-9 in the period and 41-21 in the first half. For the game, USI shot nearly 48 percent overall compared to SIUE's 30 percent, and the Eagles tallied 36 bench points. Freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) paced USI by matching a career-high 18 points, while sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) posted 13 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting from the floor. Senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) added 10 points.
 
Raley led the way for Southern Indiana between the two games last week. The senior averaged 16 points and seven rebounds while shooting 10-19 for nearly 53 percent. Raley also recorded four assists. Last Thursday against Eastern Illinois, Raley matched a season-high 22 points with 12 boards for her fourth double-double this season.
 
Overall, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) leads the Screaming Eagles at 14.5 points and eight rebounds per game. Raley and fellow senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) are second and third on the team in scoring with 12.5 points and 10.6 points per contest, respectively. As a team, Southern Indiana is averaging 70.5 points on an OVC-best 44.1 field goal percentage. USI also leads the OVC in field goal percentage defense at 36.2.
 
UT Martin (10-13, 7-5) enters the week in a four-team deadlock for third place in the OVC standings. The Skyhawks are coming off a 71-61 loss at Western Illinois University last Saturday. UT Martin had won three straight games before the contest at Western Illinois. The Skyhawks are led in scoring by redshirt freshman and reigning OVC co-Freshman of the Week Kenley McCarn at 16.6 points per outing. Sophomore forward Anaya Brown, who registered 25 points against the Leathernecks, is averaging just over 14 points per game. UT Martin averages 63.9 points per contest on 43.6 percent shooting.
 
The Skyhawks swept both matchups against USI in 2022-23. UT Martin narrowly got the best of USI inside Screaming Eagles Arena last year, 63-60, before winning 68-56 in Martin a couple of weeks later.
 
Little Rock (9-14, 8-4) starts the week in second place in the league table. The Trojans have split their last four games, including a 64-58 loss against UT Martin and a 50-41 win against Western Illinois last week. Little Rock averages 55.1 points while shooting 39.2 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Faith Lee tops the team at 15.1 points per game.
 
Following a pair of single-digit losses to Little Rock last year, the Screaming Eagles claimed the first matchup against the Trojans this season on January 18, 58-48. In that home game last month, USI forward Madi Webb poured in a career-high 22 points with 11 rebounds.
 
After this week's trip to UT Martin and Little Rock, USI will have a quick turnaround. Southern Indiana will hop back on the bus next Tuesday for a 4 p.m. CT tilt at Morehead State University. The road venture concludes on February 25 at Western Illinois.