at Southern Indiana: Live Stats | Audio

SETTING THE SCENE
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team returns its focus to the remainder of the GLVC schedule this Thursday when the Tritons travel to Southern Indiana. UMSL then plays at Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday. The Tritons are 0-1 in league play after opening their GLVC slate with a 74-63 setback to Maryville on December 5.

LAST TIME OUT
UMSL moved its record to 5-4 overall after going 1-1 at the Wayne State Holiday Classic last Friday and Saturday. The Tritons lost a 79-69 decision to the host school before rebounding for an 82-69 win over Northwood. Junior Kelly McGovern earned all-tournament honors after averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

THE SERIES
UMSL stands at 8-27 against Southern Indiana and has won just once in the last 18 meetings, a 61-56 decision in Evansville, during the 2005-06 season. The two teams last met on February 5, 2011, with the Screaming Eagles posting a 72-56 victory in St. Louis.

UMSL and Kentucky Wesleyan meet for the 27th time with the series tied at 13-13. The Panthers have won two straight, including an 84-77 decision in St. Louis on February 3, 2011 in the last meeting.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Southern Indiana is the GLVC's only unbeaten team with an 8-0 record. The Screaming Eagles have been idle since a 75-59 win over Cedarville on December 18. Anna Hackert paces USI with 13.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.3 percent from the field.

Kentucky Wesleyan enters a Thursday home contest against Maryville with a 4-3 record and is coming off an 81-52 win at Oakland City on December 30. The Panthers are led by Karly Rhoads who averages 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL has three players averaging double figures, led by the inside duo of senior Devonna Smith and junior Hazaria Washington. Smith leads the way with 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while Washington follows with 11.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Senior Angela Johnson adds 10.6 points per game.

DOUBLE VISION
Junior Hazaria Washington has three double-doubles this season - all coming in the first three games of the season, while senior Devonna Smith posted back-to-back double-doubles in wins at Lincoln (Dec. 17) and Culver-Stockton (Dec. 19).

STEPPING UP AS A SENIOR
Senior Angela Johnson is averaging 10.6 points per game this season, nearly doubling last year's average of 5.9 points per game. She has scored in double figures in five of the last seven contests.
 
NEARING THE TOP 10
Senior Deaven Omohundro needs five assists to enter the career top 10 for that category. She has dished out 184 assists during her four-year career.
 
ON THE OFFENSIVE
Of its 358 rebounds this season, 145 have come on the offensive end (41.5 percent), which ranks third in the GLVC (16.3 per game). Junior Hazaria Washington leads the league in that category, averaging 4.9 offensive rebounds per game, while senior Devonna Smith is fourth at 3.4 offensive boards per game.
 
BASKETBALL THIEF
Junior Kelly McGovern paces the squad with 25 steals, an average of 3.0 per game, which is third in the GLVC. As a team, the Tritons are averaging 11.3 thefts per game.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Junior Hazaria Washington was named the GLVC Player of the Week Dec. 3 for her efforts in UMSL's wins over Missouri Baptist and Lindenwood, and became the first women's basketball player in program history to earn this honor. Washington averaged 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game in the two victories, while shooting 40 percent from the field after playing 33.5 minutes per game.

UP NEXT
UMSL returns home next Thursday (Jan. 10), hosting Bellarmine.