EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball returns home to Liberty Arena this week in Ohio Valley Conference play, hosting Lindenwood University Thursday at 5 p.m. and Western Illinois Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
This week's games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM.
 
Thursday is PJ Night and 812 Night with Hacienda West Evansville. Doubleheader tickets are $8.12 for upper-level seating. Along with discounted tickets, USI encourages fans to visit Hacienda West for their $8.12 small famous wet burrito that comes with a drink from 2-6 p.m. Customers can show their e-ticket from the game to receive the limited-time offer at Hacienda West.
 
Saturday is Military Appreciation Day, and tickets are free for veterans and their guests (limit to five per veteran) with proof of service. Plus, there will be free t-shirts for USI students while supplies last. Military Appreciation Day is sponsored by the USI Student Veteran Association.
 
Southern Indiana (12-5, 4-2 OVC) returns to the friendly confines of Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, after a 1-2 road swing over the last two weeks. Last week, USI split its two games with a 93-69 win at Southeast Missouri State University last Thursday before falling 89-83 in overtime at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Sunday. USI hopes to continue its home-court momentum this week, as the Eagles began the OVC season with three straight home wins in late December. USI is 8-0 at home this season.
 
In the last game at Little Rock, USI played its first overtime game this season. Both teams battled from the jump with neither side gaining a lead bigger than single digits. There were 10 lead changes during the contest – the most in a USI game this season. The game was tied at 75 before the Trojans outscored the Eagles 14-8 in the extra frame. Graduate forward Meredith Raley led five Screaming Eagles in double figures with 25 points.
 
Additionally, in Sunday's clash against the Trojans, senior guard Vanessa Shafford broke the USI Women's Basketball all-time record for most three-point field goals. Shafford surpassed Stephanie Carpenter's (2010-14) previous mark of 194. Shafford exited the game with 196.
 
On Tuesday, Raley was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season after strong performances last week at Southeast Missouri and Little Rock. Raley began the week posting a career-high 29 points last Thursday against SEMO before dropping 25 points at Little Rock on Sunday. Raley averaged 27 points on the week and shot the ball for 73 percent (22-30) from the floor.
 
For the season, Raley paces Southern Indiana in scoring at 14.8 points per contest while shooting a team-best and OVC-best 53 percent overall. Shafford is second in scoring with 12 points per outing and just ahead of junior guard Ali Saunders at 11.9. Sophomore guard Triniti Ralston is USI's fourth double-digit scorer with 10.9 points per contest. Collectively, USI averages an OVC-high 74.6 points and has held the opposition to 62 points per game.
 
Lindenwood (9-6, 5-1 OVC) enters the week with solid momentum after three straight conference wins. The Lions' only OVC setback so far came at the start of January against conference-leading Eastern Illinois University. Last week, Lindenwood defeated Tennessee State University, 68-54, and the University of Tennessee at Martin, 79-73.
 
Three Lions average double figures on the season with sophomore guard Ellie Brueggemann leading the charge at 11.9 points per game. Brueggemann is also a three-point threat with a team-best 32 made threes and over 32 percent from beyond the arc. Lindenwood's other two double-digit scorers are sophomore guards Gracy Wernli and Brooke Coffey 10.3 points per outing. The Lions average 66.5 points and allow 65.5 points per game as a team.
 
Southern Indiana and Lindenwood are familiar with each other after recent years battling in the Great Lakes Valley Conference before transitioning to Division I. USI has the upper hand in the series history having won all eight previous meetings against the Lions. Last year, the Eagles won 71-68 at Lindenwood early in the OVC season and again on the final weekend of the regular season, 75-38, at Liberty Arena.
 
Western Illinois (8-7, 2-4 OVC) heads into the week after splitting its pair of games last week, falling to UT Martin, 73-60, before beating Tennessee State last time out, 88-67. The Leathernecks are seeking to find some consistency having split its last four games. Western Illinois will be at Morehead State University on Thursday before coming to Liberty Arena on Saturday.
 
Sophomore guard and reigning OVC Freshman of the Year Raegan McCowan leads the Leathernecks in scoring and rebounding with 20.4 points and eight boards per game. Junior forward Mia Nicastro, a transfer from Saint Louis University, is second behind McCowan at 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Western Illinois averages 69.9 points while surrendering 64.9 points per outing.
 
Southern Indiana leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 3-0. The Screaming Eagles swept the season series last year in the first season the two sides faced off as conference opponents. USI won 81-61 at home last January and captured a 96-89 overtime victory in a thriller at Western Illinois last February for USI's 750th program win.
 
Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.