LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team will welcome Eastern Kentucky in its Atlantic Sun Conference home opener at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday in Freedom Hall.

Last season, in an ASUN scheduling quirk, Bellarmine (5-9, 0-2 ASUN) and Eastern Kentucky (11-5, 0-2) met in back-to-back games. The teams split, with the Knights taking the latter 85-77 in Freedom Hall. EKU is the first of three straight home contests for BU, its longest conference homestand of the season.

Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky are both seeking their first respective ASUN win after both were swept last week on the road against Austin Peay and Lipscomb. The Knights fell 65-63 to the Governors and 76-65 to the Bisons, while the Colonels were defeated 64-59 by Lipscomb and 62-52 by APSU.

Eastern Kentucky's Antwainette Walker was recognized as the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year after being its Newcomer of the Year last season. Although she's missed some time due to injury, Walker is still the league's leading scorer (20.6) and posted seven 20-point games, with a high of 38 against Evansville.

Walker and Bellarmine's Gracie Merkle, the reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year, were perhaps the ASUN's top-two returning players, but Merkle has been out with injury this season. Walker has missed five games this year.

EKU's Alice Recanati joined Walker on the Preseason All-ASUN Team. One of the league's top distributors, Recanati ranks second in the conference in assists (4.5) while adding 10.1 points per game. Ivy Turner is a third Colonel scoring in double figures (11.2), and Sierra McCullough is the ASUN's top rebounder (8.7).

Bellarmine's frontcourt was recently dealt another blow with starting sophomore forward Paetynn Gray missing the last three games due to injury, although thankfully senior forward Cam Browning returned from a monthlong absence due to injury for the start of ASUN play and made strong contributions right away, with nine points against Austin Peay and a season-high 10 rebounds and eight points against Lipscomb.

Hayley Harrison ranks fifth in the ASUN in scoring (14.5). The junior guard amassed 15 points or more in eight games, including each of the last four, the first of which was a career-high 30-point outing at Akron.

Junior guard Hope Sivori is tied for third in the ASUN in assists (4.4), tied for fifth in steals (1.8) and tied for eighth in 3-pointers made (27), while sophomore guard Miyah Brown has grabbed a minimum of six rebounds in 10 consecutive games and had 14 points against Lipscomb.

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