ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's women's basketball team opens the month of February with a three-game homestand beginning this Thursday (Feb. 3) against Truman State at 5:30 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena. The homestand continues on Saturday with Quincy coming to town for a 1 p.m. and then concludes next Monday (Feb. 7) against Illinois Springfield at 5:30 p.m.

Last Time Out – The Flyers fell in the final game of their three-game road trip last Thursday 76-75 at Illinois Springfield. Kathryn Schmidt (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central) put Lewis ahead with a putback with 1.8 seconds remaining but Stephanie Hart (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) was called for a foul on the ensuing inbounds pass and the Prairie Stars sunk both free throws to regain the lead. The Flyers had one final chance as Taylor Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) got a good luck at three from the top of the key but it fell short as the buzzer sounded.

Fan Policy – Lewis University announced that beginning on Tuesday (Feb. 1) that it's lifting its restrictions on the attendance policy for indoor events. All visiting fans and Lewis students will be allowed to attend games at Neil Carey Arena.

From Downtown – Lewis is one of the top three-point shooting team in GLVC play as it is averaging seven made three's per contest which is tied with Rockhurst for second in the league. The Flyers have connected on 33.7 percent of their attempts which ranks fifth in the conference. Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) is tied for fifth in the conference in three-point field goals made at 2.00 per contest while Tara Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) is 14th at 1.57 makes per game.

Protecting the Rock – Lewis has the lowest turnover rate in GLVC contests this season turning it over an average of only 10.5 times per contest. On the flip side, the Flyers are forcing nearly 16 turnovers per game and their +5.38 turnover margin is third best in league contests.

About Truman – The Bulldogs enter Thursday evening's contest with a record of 14-6, 10-2 GLVC and have won 12 of their last 14 games. They posted a record of 9-1 during the month of January with their lone loss coming last Thursday to Southern Indiana.

Truman has won a program best seven straight road games topping the previous best of five during the 2020 season.

Hannah Belanger leads the Dogs in scoring with 17.7 points per contest while Ellie Weltha is averaging 14.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Katey Klucking is dropping in 11.1 points per game. Belanger also leads the team with 82 assists on the season.

About Quincy – The Hawks have dropped three straight, six of their last seven and are 6-14, 2-10 GLVC heading into Thursday evening's contest at Illinois Springfield. Quincy went 0-2 last week dropping a five-point contest against Indianapolis last Thursday and then fell to Southern Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

Beth Matas Martin leads the Hawks in scoring with 12.2 points per contest while Sarah Nelson is averaging 9.6 points per game. Emma Knipe leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per outing and Matas Martin has a team-high 70 assists.

About Illinois Springfield – The Prairie Stars have won four straight heading into Thursday's contest against Quincy. Lauren Ladowski has been on fire in her last three games averaging close to 21 points per contest and is up to 17.8 points per game on the season. Malea Jackson is dropping in 14.2 points per outing while Ellie Mitchell is contributing 10.7 points per contest. Ally Gietzel leads the team in rebounding with 6.7 per game while Ladowski has a team best 49 assists.

Series Stuff – Lewis has dropped three straight and four of the last five meetings against Truman State but still lead the all-time series 8-5. Truman won the earlier matchup this season defeating the Flyers 83-75 in Kirksville back on Jan. 6.

Saturday's contest marks the 55th meeting all-time between Lewis and Quincy with the series tied at 27 wins apiece. The Flyers have won seven straight in the series and four straight at Neil Carey Arena. Last season Lewis defeated the Hawks 80-70 at Neil Carey Arena and 68-63 in Quincy.

Monday's contest is the 20th meeting between the Flyers and Prairie Stars with Lewis leading the series 16-3. However, UIS was won the previous two matchups by a total of two points. The Flyers are 9-1 all-time against the Prairie Stars at Neil Carey Arena.

Up Next – Lewis heads to Kansas City for a pair of contests against Rockhurst (Feb. 10) and William Jewell (Feb. 12).