“We’re hitting the road this week, so we got to be better than we were last week,” said Rick Stein, women’s basketball head coach. “There’s another tough road trip ahead – both (teams) play really well.”

The Eagles (14-5, 8-3 GLVC) will play Truman State University and Quincy University, Thursday and Saturday respectively. Stein said he plans to focus on defense again the for the weekend games.

“I know I’ve said it a lot, but I think we really showed at the game Saturday against McKendree that we’re trying to get some things done,” he said.

The Eagles out-rebounded McKendree 28-47 Saturday. But rebounding isn’t the only thing the women’s basketball team will focus on.

“Truman has two of the top three 3-point shooters, not only in the conference but in the nation. They both can get six to seven to eight in a game,” Stein said. “We’re going to have to really defend the 3-point line.”

Truman University (14-5, 8-3 GLVC) is tied for fifth overall in the GLVC.

“They both (Truman and Quincy) can put up big numbers,” Stein said. “We can’t focus on one player – you’re going to see a balance-type lineup.”

Truman isn’t the only team to watch out for 3-pointers. USI’s senior guard Stephanie Carpenter made three out of her four attempts at 3-pointers Saturday. According to Sports Information Department, Carpenter needs 15 more 3-pointers to tie the program’s all-time career mark of 184.

Carpenter said she wasn’t focusing on them too much.

“I just kept hitting them,” she said.

She’s focusing more on the big week ahead. The Eagles didn’t play Quincy last season, so she said  the team will plan on what they always do.

“We’ll probably do the same attack,” she said.

The Eagles play at 5:15 p.m. Truman University Kirksville, Mo., Thursday, and then travel to Quincy to go head-to-head at 5 p.m. Saturday.