ST. CHARLES, MO. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team will be competing in their first conference matchup of the season against the Eastern Illinois Panthers this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in Charleston, Illinois.

The Lions were most recently defeated by the Utah Tech Trailblazers by a final score of 68-82 last Wednesday night in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. Despite the two tournament losses, Mary McGrath had a very strong week that earned her both OVC Co-Player of the Week and Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team honors. The sophomore star recorded a team-leading 12 points against the Cleveland State Vikings and a team-leading 17 points against the Utah Tech Trailblazers. The Arlington Heights, Ill. native shot an impressive 71.4% in game one and 72.7% in game two from the floor, truly setting the tone offensively for the Lions. 

Defensively, McGrath was equally as strong, scooping up four rebounds from the Vikings and a team-leading 10 from the Trailblazers to achieve a new season-high on the boards for both individual and team. The sophomore guard's well-rounded efforts also earned her Lindenwood's first double-double of the year. Now, McGrath's team-leading rebounds per game average has improved to 5.5. She also holds the top spot in steals (1.8), blocks (0.5) and minutes played (31.1) per game for the Lions. 

Emily Benzschawel still currently posts the highest points per game average for the Lions with 10.7 points per game, being a consistent offensive threat for the Lions off the bench. McGrath is hot on her heels with her 10.6 PPG average, and in the third spot on the leaderboard are both Masyn McWilliams and Devin Fuhring sitting at 8.6 points per game. McWilliams currently leads the team in assists (2.3 per game), while Fuhring earned her first starting assignments of the year in both Holiday Hoops Classic games, both gearing up to be key components in the Lions' OVC run. 

Lindenwood's non-conference slate consisted of only Division 1 teams besides the Hannibal-LaGrange Trojans, facing various tough opponents like Drake, Grand Canyon and Tulsa. The Lions' road schedule has also been a hefty one, so far only playing three of their 11 total games at home in Hyland Arena, so it's only fitting that they kick off the conference schedule on the road as well. 

Eastern Illinois currently sits atop the OVC standings after their 8-3 non-conference run, boasting a 4-2 record on their home court alone. The Panthers are most recently coming off a loss at Minnesota, however, falling in a 48-59 defeat back on December 22. Their only common opponent with the Lions this year has been the NIU Panthers- a team that both Lindenwood (56-67) and Eastern Illinois (69-71) were defeated by. 

The Panthers are led by Lariah Washington, who currently averages 19.2 points per game after starting and playing in all 11 games so far this season. Lyric Johnson is EIU's leading rebounder, who averages 4.3 boards per game for the blue and white. 

For more information regarding Thursday's game, make sure to check out 2022-23 Women's Basketball Schedule - Lindenwood University Athletics.