The Lindenwood women's basketball team is kicking off their inaugural Divsion I season tomorrow, Monday Nov. 7, at 5:00 p.m. at Eastern Michigan.

The Lions will be looking to make a statement in their first Division I game in program history, coming off an 11-16 record in their final Division II season in 2021-22. Formerly a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Lindenwood now is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) heading into the 2022-23 season. 

With an even mix of returners and newcomers, Lindenwood will showcase both experience and fresh perspective on the court. Leading the Lions on the returner side of things is graduate student Devin Fuhring, who will partake in her fifth season at Lindenwood this year. Fuhring was a core piece in Lindenwood's offense and defense last season, being named Second-Team All-GLVC and starting 15 games for the Lions before suffering a season-ending injury. Fuhring averaged 14.0 points and 29.6 minutes per game regardless, being a leader for the Lions in various senses of the word.

Among the six Lion newcomers is Reagan Rapert, a sophomore guard who transferred to Lindenwood after one season at Wofford College, where she was named to SoCon All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams after being a starter and key component in the Terriers' success. Rapert is one of four transfers at Lindenwood this year--- Makayla Wallace, Masyn McWilliams and Christyan Reid also swapped out their old college jerseys for Lindenwood black and gold. 

This will be the first time in Lindenwood women's basketball history that they will meet Eastern Michigan, starting the all-time series record between the two teams.
 
Eastern Michigan is coming off a 7-20 overall record in 2021-22, including a 4-16 ledger in Mid-American Conference play. Although the Eagles graduated their most accomplished player last year, Ce'Nara Skanes will return to set the tempo for Eastern Michigan. Skanes paced the Eagles in rebounds with 247 (149 defensive, 98 offensive) in 2021-22. She led the team in boards 16 times in the 2021-22 campaign and 32 times overall as an Eagle.

Like the Lions, the Eagles also welcomed six newcomers to their roster-four "true" freshmen and two transfers (the reverse is true for the Lions, whose two true freshmen are Mya Davidson and Brooke Woodyard).

For more information regarding tomorrow's game, make sure to check out 2022-23 Women's Basketball Schedule - Lindenwood University Athletics (lindenwoodlions.com).