Springfield, Ill. - The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team once again will be road warriors this weekend as they start this road trip with a 5 p.m. tilt with the University of Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars.

The Series
This is just the second meeting ever between the Lions and Illinois-Springfield. Missouri Southern defeated the Prairie Stars 60-42 last season inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
This will be the first time the Lions have ventured to the Illinois stat capital of Springfield. The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) is home to both UIS basketball programs and the volleyball program. The TRAC was opened in the fall of 2007 and has a seating capacity of 3,000.

The Coaches
Missouri Southern
Ronnie Ressel is in his 15th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and his first year at the helm of the women's program. During his three years as an assistant for the women, Ressel had helped the team to a 58-30 record and a 38-22 mark in the MIAA. In 2015-16 the team saw two players earn All-MIAA status as Sharese Jones was a first-team selection, while Deb Holcomb was a third-team pick.

Illinois-Springfield
Mark Kost was named the fourth head women's basketball in May of 2015. 
In his first season at the helm, the Prairie Stars went 8-18. Kost coached 3rd-Team All-GLVC selection Shelbi Patterson as well as the conferences' second leading rebounder in Syerra Cunningham. 

Possible Starters
Missouri Southern (2-3)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG Assists Steals Hometown
11 Jasmine Green G 5-6 Jr. 7.0 3.0 5 2 Katy, Texas
14 Bri Shavers-McNeace F 6-0 Jr. 4.0 4.6 3 0 Carrollton, Texas
15 Chelsey Henry G 5-10 So. 8.6 2.4 7 1 Neosho, Mo.
24 Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Sr. 15.2 3.4 10 5 Dallas, Texas
31 Jenson Maydew F 5-11 Jr. 7.4 4.8 9 4 Pratt, Kan.

Illinois-Springfield (2-1)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG Assists Steals Hometown
3 Tehya Fortune G 5-7 Fr. 8.7 1.7 6 2 Chicago, Ill.
14 Shelbi Patterson G 5-9 Jr. 10.7 5.3 8 5 Indianapolis, Ind.
21 Caroline Kelty G 5-5 Sr. 8.3 4.3 7 6 River Forest, Ill.
42 Destiny Ramsey F 6-0 Jr. 8.0 5.7 10 7 Bloomington, Ill.
44 Syerra Cunningham F 6-1 Sr. 13.3 12.3 2 2 Beach Park, Ill.

The Last Time Out
Missouri Southern
Southern got a career high from senior guard Deb Holcomb as the Lions held off former MIAA foe Truman State 94-88 Tuesday night inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Southern (2-3) wins for the second time in a row against the Bulldogs (3-2). The Lions utilized key runs in the first and third quarters and made their free throws in the fourth to put away the game. 
Holcomb went 8-14 from the field and 3-7 from long-range, while making 9-12 from the free throw line in 33 minutes of play. Jenson Maydew and Desirea Buerge scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds each, while Amelia Bramer scored 11 points.
The Lions had a 28-22 advantage in the paint and scored 28 points off of 20 Truman turnovers. The Southern bench held a 34-22 advantage in bench points. 

Illinois-Springfield
The Prairie Stars (2-1) were never challenged in their home opener as they ran away from Robert Morris – Springfield to the tune of 89-22. Three Prairie Stars scored in double-figures and 14 players scored altogether with 12 players tallying at least one assist.
UIS scored the first 27 points of the game and nearly shut out the Eagles in the first quarter as they scored with 37 seconds remaining.
At the half, UIS led 47-7 behind 12 points from Syerra Cunningham and four points and five rebounds from Shelbi Patterson.
The Prairie Stars went on to shoot 46.1 percent from the field and grabbed 59 rebounds on the game, their third highest total in a game in UIS history. They also dished out 28 assists on the night, which also sits as the third most in a single-game.

Quick Notes
Dialing Long Distance
The Lions have made a three pointer in 471 consecutive games. The last time Southern did not make a shot from downtown was in a 68-53 loss to Southern Arkansas on Nov. 20, 1999.

Defensive Effort
The Lions have not allowed 100 points to an opponent since Emporia State defeated Southern 102-60 on Feb. 12, 2000. That is 451 straight games without allowing 100+ points.

Leading At The Half
The Lions led the game at the half in 17 of 29 games last season and were 15-2 in those games. 

Sharp Shooting
Southern is 1-0 when out shooting their opponents this season.

Glass Cleaners
The Lions, as a team has out rebounded 3 of their 5 opponents this season and are 2-1 in those contests.

Friendly Confines of LPAC
Southern is 155-60 inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center since the 2001-02 season. 

Picking Pockets
When the Lions have more steals than their opponents they were 13-3 last season.

oops we did it again!
Southern has forced their 4 of their 5 opponents into more turnovers and are 2-2 in those contests.