EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball continues its three-game road swing in Ohio Valley Conference play this week with trips to Southeast Missouri State University on Thursday and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Sunday.
 
Thursday's tilt against Southeast Missouri is slated for 5:15 p.m. from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, while Sunday's battle against Little Rock is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Little Rock, Arkansas. The game was postponed from its original Saturday date due to inclement weather in the Little Rock area. This week's games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.
 
Southern Indiana embarks on its latest road trip with an 11-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the OVC. USI is tied for second in the conference standings with three other teams, including Little Rock, at 3-1.
 
USI looks to get back on track after suffering its first conference loss last Thursday at Tennessee Tech University, 83-79. The game was tied at 38 at halftime before the Golden Eagles outscored USI in the second by four. Southern Indiana shot the ball well at over 50 percent in the game for the fourth time this season. However, Tennessee Tech's advantages from three, at the foul line, and on the glass ended up being pivotal differences in the contest.
 
Sophomore guard Triniti Ralston led the Screaming Eagles at Tennessee Tech in scoring, matching her career high with 25 points on 9-16 shooting and a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Vanessa Shafford registered her second double-double and 20-point game of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The two players scoring 20-plus marked the first game USI had two players score 20 or more in the same game since Shafford (24) and Hannah Haithcock (21) did so against Eastern Illinois University in January 2023.
 
Heading into Thursday's game at SEMO, Shafford is approaching USI's all-time mark for career three-pointers. Currently, with 190 made threes in her career, Shafford is four away from Stephanie Carpenter's (2010-14) record of 194 made triples.
 
Efficient three-point shooting has also been a key for Southern Indiana this season. Shooting just over 38 percent collectively, USI ranks first in the OVC and top 15 in the nation in three-point percentage. The Screaming Eagles have five players shooting 35 percent or better with at least 25 attempts this season. Shafford leads the team at 41 percent from three.
 
USI also ranks well atop the OVC in many defensive categories, including scoring defense (59.7), field-goal percentage defense (35.1), and defensive rebounds per game (28.3). The Eagles' field-goal defense also ranks top 20 in the nation.
 
The Screaming Eagles have four players averaging double figures on the campaign. Graduate forward Meredith Raley leads the way at 13.2 points per outing. Junior guard Ali Saunders and Shafford are nearly neck and neck at 11.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Ralston is also currently in the double-digit club at 10.6 points per contest. As a team, USI averages an OVC-leading 72.8 points while holding opponents to an OVC-best 59.7 points per game.

Sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan makes her return to SEMO this week after spending her freshman season as a Redhawk last year. Buchanan made 12 starts in 27 appearances for Southeast Missouri, averaging five and five boards per game with a team-best 22 blocks last season.
 
Southeast Missouri (4-9, 2-2 OVC) comes into the week having split each of its first two weeks in OVC play. Last week, the Redhawks defeated Tennessee State University, 75-68, before falling to the University of Tennessee at Martin, 85-69, last time out.
 
Reigning OVC Freshman of the Week Zoe Best paces the Redhawks at 15 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Best had a team-high 23 points in the last game against UT Martin. Sophomore guard Indiya Bowen is second on SEMO in scoring right at 10 points per game. SEMO averages 63.8 points while surrendering 75 points per game.
 
Southeast Missouri leads the all-time series, 12-4, heading into the 17th meeting. The series dates back to 1980 with the Redhawks winning the first 11 matchups. However, USI has won three of the four meetings in recent history since the Screaming Eagles joined the OVC in 2022. USI swept both games last season. USI concluded last season at home against SEMO with a 70-59 victory. In that game, Shafford tied a career high with 26 points.
 
Little Rock (5-8, 3-1 OVC) enters the week on a two-game uptick after sweeping UT Martin, 66-61, and Tennessee State, 67-63, last week. The Trojans split their first week of OVC play before the holidays.
 
Junior forward Faith Lee is the reigning OVC Player of the Week and tops the Trojans with 16.4 points per game. Lee led Little Rock last week with 26 points against UT Martin and 23 points against Tennessee State. Senior guard Jordan Holman is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. Little Rock averages 58.7 points while limiting the opposition to 66.6 points per game.
 
Southern Indiana and Little Rock have split their short series history, 2-2. The Trojans swept both matchups in 2022-23 and USI swept both games last season. In the last meeting at Little Rock last February, USI won 88-51 after shooting over 65 percent from the floor (34-52) and above 72 percent (13-18) from three-point range.
 
Following the conclusion of this week's road swing, the Screaming Eagles return home to Liberty Arena next week for a pair of contests against Lindenwood University on January 16 and Western Illinois University on January 18. Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.