EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following three straight road games, University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball returns home to Liberty Arena this week for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference contests, taking on Southeast Missouri State University, presented by Tri-State Orthopaedics, on Thursday and the University of Tennessee at Martin on Saturday. Both games are slated for 5 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.

For Saturday, USI Athletics invites USI employees to come support the Screaming Eagles on USI Employee Appreciation Night. USI employees are eligible for up to four (4) free tickets for both games of the doubleheader at Liberty Arena. Additional tickets can be purchased at regular price. Tickets can be ordered online at usi.universitytickets.com.
 
USI Women's Basketball (9-4, 3-1 OVC) enters the week in a five-way tie for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with a 3-1 conference record. USI started 3-0 and looks to bounce back after its first OVC loss last time out against Lindenwood University last Saturday. Prior to the Lindenwood game, USI captured a 70-55 road win last Thursday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
 
USI is 6-1 at home this season and have won five in a row inside Liberty Arena. In the Eagles' last homestand, USI opened OVC play in December with a pair of home wins against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Morehead State University.
 
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 75-65 road loss on Saturday at Lindenwood. After a hot-shooting start for both teams, USI cooled off offensively while Lindenwood created some separation in the third quarter that the Eagles could not overcome. USI shot for 38 percent overall compared to Lindenwood's 48 percent from the floor.
 
Senior guard Ali Saunders led USI against Lindenwood with 23 points, a season-high seven rebounds, and four assists, including her 400^th career assist. Five of Saunders' seven makes from the field came from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Channah Gannon tallied 13 points with five rebounds and three steals.
 
Heading into this week's games, Saunders leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game. Saunders has scored 14 or more points in each of the last six games and has led USI in scoring in five of the last six games, including three of the four OVC games so far. Over the last six outings, Saunders is averaging 20.3 points per game. Additionally, Saunders is working on a USI record at the free-throw line having made 32 consecutive free throws.
 
Second on the team in scoring this season is junior forward Chloe Gannon and junior guard Sophia Loden with each averaging 12.5 points per contest. Gannon has scored 10-plus in nine games this season and in three of the last four games, and Loden paces the squad with 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
USI received votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. As a team, USI is averaging 71.5 points per game while limiting the opposition to 55.5 points per game. Defensively, USI's scoring defense (55.5) and field goal percentage defense (35.3 percent) rank first in the OVC and top 30 in the nation.
 
Southeast Missouri (5-8, 1-3 OVC) is coming off an OVC split last week, claiming a 70-68 win against Eastern Illinois University before a 58-51 loss against Western Illinois University.
 
The Redhawks have three players averaging double figures and over 12 points per game. Graduate guard Lexi McCully leads the way with 13.1 points per contest. Graduate guard Carmen Taylor and sophomore forward Ainaya Williams are second and third with 12.5 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. All three tallied double digits in the last game against Western Illinois. Collectively, SEMO averages 70.2 points and allow 68.4 points per outing this season.
 
Southeast Missouri leads the all-time series against USI, 12-6. However, the Screaming Eagles are 5-1 against SEMO since becoming OVC foes. USI has won four in a row in the series, with all four consecutive wins coming by double figures.
 
UT Martin (7-6, 3-1 OVC) heads into the week coming off an OVC sweep last week with an 86-78 double-overtime victory against Western Illinois and a 58-51 triumph against Eastern Illinois. The Skyhawks face Morehead State on Thursday before visiting the Screaming Eagles on Saturday.
 
The Skyhawks also have three players averaging double figures, with redshirt junior guard Kenley McCarn leading the way at 15.8 points per game. McCarn recorded a team-high 21 points in the last game against Eastern Illinois. Redshirt sophomore forward Zy Thompson is second on the team with 11.9 points per outing, while freshman guard Sidni Middleton is third at 10.8 points per contest. Thompson and Middleton are the reigning OVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Week honorees.
 
The all-time series between USI and UT Martin is tied, 3-3. The two sides split their regular-season meetings in 2024-25 with respective home wins. USI won 69-59 in Liberty Arena last December before UT Martin won 84-69 down in Martin, Tennessee, last February. The Skyhawks' win last February snapped a three-game winning streak for USI in the series, which included the 2023-24 OVC Tournament Championship game victory.
 
Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.