ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis' women's basketball team hits the road for the first time during the 2020-21 season as they head to Indiana for a pair of divisional matchups this weekend against Indianapolis and Southern Indiana. The Flyers take on the Greyhounds on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (CST) at Nicoson Hall and then travel to Evansville, Ind., to face the Screaming Eagles on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Screaming Eagle Arena.
ABOUT UINDY
The Greyhounds have kicked off their fifth season under head coach Kristin Wodrich, going 0-2 on the opening weekend. The Hounds suffered a season opening loss to William Jewell 63-58 last Friday and then fell to Truman State 76-68, two days later.
UIndy opened up against Jewell and battled them from deep, attempting 34 shots from behind the arc in the game. That mark was the most attempts in a single game for the program since Feb. 21, 2015 at Bellarmine. The Hounds converted eight of those 3-pointers, shooting 23 percent overall.
The Greyhounds finished the game against Truman with three players scoring at least 10 points in the contest. Lauren With led the way with 16 points while Mickey Sasson and Taylor Drury had 10 points apiece.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UINDY
Lewis leads the all-time series versus the Greyhounds, 43-35, including wins in 15 of the last 17 games. The two teams split the regular-season meetings last season with each winning on the other's home floor. The Flyers won the rubber match with a 63-50 win in the quarterfinal round of the GLVC Tournament in Edwardsville, Ill.
ABOUT SOUTHERN INDIANA
The Screaming Eagles got off to a strong start last weekend, earning a 70-55 win over Rockhurst last Friday before topping William Jewell, 80-55. Senior guard Emma DeHart averaged 21.5 points per game to lead the Eagles, while sophomore guard Addy Blackwell chipped in 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per contest. Sophomore forward Hannah Haithcock added 11.0 points and a team-high 10.0 rebounds per game, while senior guard Ashley Hunter contributed 10.5 points and 3.0 assists per appearance.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN INDIANA
Lewis leads the all-time series against the Screaming Eagles 40-34 and have won the last four meetings in the series. Last season, the Flyers used a 29-13 run over the final nine minutes of the contest to secure a 74-58 victory at Screaming Eagle Arena. USI rallied from an early 14-point deficit to tie the game at 45 a minute into the final period, but Lewis hit three quick three's and five in the quarter to secure the victory.
Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) paced the Flyers with 22 points and eight rebounds while
Katie Gardner (Franklin, Wis./Pius XI) added 19 points,
Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) finished with 15 points and
Kaitlyn Williams (Homer Glen, Ill./Joliet Catholic) had 10 points. Lewis hit 11 three-pointers in the contest and was 19-for-23 at the foul line.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Flyers opened their fourth season in the
Samantha Quigley Smith era with a 76-66 loss to Truman State last Friday before beating Quincy, 80-70 two days later.
Kathryn Schmidt (Hampshiire, Ill./Burlington Central) led Lewis with 18 points and nine rebounds. She recorded career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (13) in the win over the Hawks on Sunday.
Stephanie Hart (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) averaged 13 points in the first two games while
Taylor Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) contributed 12.5 points per contest.
Jenna Badali (Oak Lawn, Ill./Mother McAuley) leads the team in both steals (11) and assists (13), while also placing second on the team in rebounds (5.5 rbg). Williams is averaging 2.0 assists per game.
