The Lindenwood women's basketball team (13-6, 5-3 OVC) returns home to take on Tennessee Tech (10-7, 3-5 OVC) on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. inside Hyland Arena.
 
The Lions are coming off a tough 73-70 loss at UT Martin last Saturday. In a game that featured 19 lead changes, the Skyhawks pulled ahead late and stayed in front for good to end Lindenwood's four-game winning streak. Aleshia Jones just missed her fifth 20-point game of the season, leading the way with 19. The Leavenworth, Kan. native averages a team-leading 14 points per game on the year.
 
Valerie Norwood provided a nice spark off the bench once again, finishing with nine points and two rebounds against UT Martin. The freshman guard averaged 28 minutes per game last week and dropped a season-high 12 at SEMO on January 15. She has now played 20 or more minutes in five-straight games.
 
Ellie Brueggemann was the other Lion in double-figures with 16 on 6-of-12 shooting. After not making a three-point field goal against SEMO for just the second time this season, Brueggemann nailed four against the Skyhawks. She continues to shoot well from beyond the arc, knocking down nearly 46 percent of her shots from three-point range, which leads the Ohio Valley conference and ranks 10th nationally.
 
Brueggemann was a big reason the Lions hit 47 percent from three-point range against the Skyhawks (8-17). Overall, Lindenwood is shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, the best percentage in the OVC and the seventh best mark in the country. The Lions have made 153 three-pointers this season, tops in the conference.
 
Lindenwood shot 51 percent from the field against the Skyhawks, marking the seventh time this season they have knocked down 50 percent or more of their shots during a game. Saturday's game was the first time that the Lions lost. The Black and Gold lead the OVC in field goal percentage at 46.8 and that number ranks 20th nationally. 
 
Lindenwood will be looking to win its third-straight home conference game after dropping the first two inside Hyland Arena this season. In 2024-25, the Lions went a perfect 10-0 in OVC games held in St. Charles, Mo.

NUMBERS TO KNOW:
5: There are five players in the OVC shooting above 50 percent from the field. The Lions have three of them: Brooke Coffey, Aleshia Jones, and Ellie Brueggemann

2: For the third time this season, Aleshia Jones was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 21 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game last week

70: The Black and Gold have scored 70 or more points in five-straight games and seven of the last eight. Lindenwood is second in the OVC in scoring offense at 73.4 per game