KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – From being the hunter to the hunted, the Truman State Women's Basketball team will hope to lock up their spot in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) basketball tournament with two games in the final weekend of the regular season.
 
It will be a split weekend, with the team making the trek to the University of Indianapolis on Thursday night, then zipping back home to host William Jewell on Saturday. Both the Greyhounds and Cardinals are chasing Truman State for a top-eight spot, and while those two schools are quite a bit back in the point-rating system, the Bulldogs cannot afford a slip-up.
 
Truman State moved into the top eight following victories over Maryville (86-79) and Missouri-St. Louis (67-59). Those wins pushed their GLVC PRS average to 3.31, ahead of McKendree (3.03) and just behind Upper Iowa (3.32) for the seventh spot in the tournament.
 
Indianapolis and William Jewell are potential spoilers for the Bulldogs this week. The Greyhounds are 6-12 in conference play with a 2.72 rating, in 10th position. The Cardinals are 4-14 in the conference with a 2.33 rating, in 14th.
 
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs hit 10 or more three-pointers in consecutive games last week. They made a season-high 15 three-pointers and shot 47% from beyond the arc in the win over the Saints, following that up with 10 three-pointers on 18 attempts (56%) against Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday. The Bulldogs had just two games in the previous 26 in which they topped 10 or more three-pointers.
 
Jordan Cunningham went 6-of-8 from outside last week, scoring 19 points in each game, which parlayed into the GLVC Player of the Week award. Cunningham was 7-of-8 from the field against Maryville and 7-of-11 against the Tritons, while pulling down six rebounds in each game and adding nine steals. She joined Molly Joyce as the only other Bulldog to earn the league's top weekly award.
 
Cunningham continues to lead the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game and is also the team leader in assists (83), steals (44), and blocks (24).
 
Joyce followed up her 32-point performance against Missouri S&T a week ago Saturday with 27 points and 10 rebounds against Maryville. She sealed the victory with fourth-quarter free throws, going 12-of-14 from the line. Joyce was on the floor for all but four minutes last week. On the season, she ranks second on the team in three-pointers made with 42 and has converted 125-of-149 free-throw attempts. She averages 15 points overall and 13.7 in league games.
 
Bryar Duwe has taken over the team lead in three-pointers made with 44 this season and is shooting 38% from outside. Duwe matched her season high for the third time when she scored 17 points against UMSL on Saturday. She was 6-of-10 from the field and matched her single-game high in three-pointers made with four.
 
Emma Bulman entered the starting lineup last week after coming off the bench prominently in the previous 26 games. Bulman scored a season-high 17 points with four three-pointers against Maryville on Thursday and followed that up with nine points and two more triples against UMSL. She also pulled down five rebounds in each game.
 
Kaitlyn Patke emerged last week with her best games of the season. Patke made six of eight field-goal attempts while playing 17 minutes in each game. She added three assists against Maryville and nabbed five total rebounds.
 
Katelyn Odem has started the past 17 games and has averaged 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds. She established a career-high with five assists on Saturday against Missouri-St. Louis.
 
Gracie Neff has appeared in all 28 games. She has a dozen three-pointers made and 42 assists. She scored her single-game high for the season in the first matchup with William Jewell, with nine points.
 
This will be the first and only meeting with Indianapolis on Thursday. The teams split their two games last year, with the Greyhounds commanding an 80-54 win in Pershing Arena in January 2024, but the Bulldogs returned the favor with a 79-72 win a month later in Indianapolis.
 
UINDY has one win in their last five games and was held to a season-low 37 points in their last game against Lewis on Thursday.
 
The Bulldogs and Cardinals started the month of February in Liberty, where Truman State prevailed 73-61. Leading by three entering the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs poured it on in the final 10 minutes, outscoring the Cardinals 17-8. Cunningham notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Jewell's Kirsten Hauck did the same with 18 points and 10 boards.
 
The Cardinals snapped a six-game skid on Saturday with a 71-49 home win over Lincoln. They will travel to Illinois Springfield on Thursday before stopping in Kirksville for Saturday's game.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Bulldogs will recognize five players who will be playing their final home game in a Truman State uniform: Gracie Neff, Jordan Cunningham, Kaitlyn Patke, Emma Bulman, and Tori Standefer.
 
Also on Saturday, the GLVC will unveil the bracket for the postseason tournament, which will be contested in St. Charles, Missouri, starting Thursday, March 6.