SETTING THE SCENE
After playing its last four games on the road, the UMSL women's basketball returns home to play four of its final five regular season games at home. The Tritons will open a three-game homestand on Thursday against Southern Indiana and also entertain Bellarmine on Saturday in their annual Play 4 Kay game.

TRITONS AT HOME
UMSL went 12-2 at home last season and under third-year head coach Katie Vaughn is 26-7 in the Mark Twain Building, including 6-1 this year.

ABOUT PLAY 4 KAY
The Play 4Kay initiative (formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone) is an opportunity for a nation of coaches to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The initiative supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, named after the late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, who passed away 2009 after her third bout with breast cancer.

LOVE AND BASKETBALL
Valentine's Day has not been the kindest to the Tritons when they play on February 14 as UMSL is 2-7 on games played on that date. However, UMSL has won both of its last two February 14 games, including a 71-69 decision over William Jewell during the 2013-14 season.

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL is 11-10 overall, including 7-6 in the GLVC. The Tritons went 3-1 on its recent four-game road trip and nearly made it four straight, but suffered a 54-53 loss at Saint Joseph's on Saturday in its last outing. UMSL is tied for third place with Maryville in the West Division standings, one game behind second place Quincy and one game ahead of fifth place  Truman State and William Jewell.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Senior Alexis Lawrence averages a team-best 13.9 points per game and has drained 68 three-pointers, while junior Kelly Kunkel follows with 11.8 points per game and also grabs 6.6 rebounds per contest. Senior Kelly McGovern leads the team with 4.0 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Senior Tierra Snow is shooting 61.2 percent from the field, while redshirt freshman Jordan Fletcher owns a team-best 27 blocks, which ties the seventh most in a single season at UMSL.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
UMSL has limited six opponents to fewer than 50 points this season and in GLVC-only games, the Tritons are allowing just 58.5 points per game, a league best.
 
TRITON TIDBITS
- Senior Alexis Lawrence averages 3.2 three-pointers per game, which leads the GLVC and is sixth in NCAA DII. Her 68 three-pointers this season ranks fifth on the single season charts and she is second all-time in program history with 200 three-pointers and is third in three-pointers attempted (567) and eighth in three-point shooting percentage (.353).
- Senior Kelly McGovern ranks ninth in the GLVC in rebounding, fourth in assists (4.05 apg) and fifth in steals (1.86 spg). She also ranks seventh in program history with 300 career assists and is third in free throw percentage (80.1).
- Senior Tierra Snow's current career field goal shooting percentage of 56.3 is a program best, while her 61.2 percentage this season leads the GLVC and ranks second in program single season history. In GLVC-only games, Snow is shooting 66.7 percent, while redshirt freshman Jordan Fletcher is second at 62.3 percent.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Southern Indiana is 18-5 overall, including 10-3 in the GLVC, sitting in third place in the East Division standings. The Screaming Eagles are 6-1 this season in true road games, including 5-1 in league games. Three players average double figures led by Anna Hacket's double-double of 15.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. USI ranks third in GLVC-only games, allowing just 60.7 points per game and shooting a GLVC third-best 43.5 percent.

Bellarmine enters a Thursday game at Maryville with an 11-10 overall record, including a 6-7 GLVC mark and sits in three-way tie for fourth place in the East Division standings. Destony Curry averages a team-best 10.2 points per game, while Morgan Clemons adds 8.6 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. The Knights rank first in GLVC-only games with 9.23 steals and 16.08 offensive rebounds per game. Six different players own more than 20 steals on the season.
 
SERIES HISTORIES
Southern Indiana leads the all-time series, 29-8, and has won nine straight, including a 69-57 decision in Evansville last season.

UMSL is 8-20 all-time against Bellarmine, but the Tritons have won the last two meetings and three of the last four. UMSL earned a 68-65 win in Louisville, Ky., last season.

LOOKING AHEAD
UMSL will complete its current three-game homestand next Thursday, hosting Quincy and after a trip to Truman State that Saturday, returns home to close out the regular season against Maryville on February 26.