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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will host Presbyterian College, Marshall and Jackson State in the 2012 Comfort Suites Invitational at McBrayer Arena this weekend. The Lady Colonels open play in the tournament with Presbyterian on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Marshall and Jackson State will face off before EKU and PC at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. If EKU defeats PC, the Lady Colonels will play the winner of Marshall/Jackson State at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday in the tournament championship game. If EKU loses to PC, the Lady Colonels will play the loser of Marshall/Jackson State at the same time.

EKU (3-3) is glad to be back at McBrayer Arena. The Lady Colonels opened the season with three consecutive wins at home, but have since gone 0-3 away from Richmond, losing a pair of games to Florida State and Milwaukee at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico before falling at Louisville, 76-42, at the KFC Yum! Center on Wednesday night.

EKU has stifled opponents to 50.7 points per game and to 30.6 percent shooting from the field at McBrayer Arena this season.

Senior Jade Barber notched her third double-double of the year at Louisville on Wednesday, scoring 11 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Barber ranks 19th in the country with 11.2 rebounds per game and leads an EKU post unit that ranks 24 in the country with 5.2 blocks per game. After entering the starting lineup following the first game of the season, senior Jalisa Bryant has delivered a string of strong games for the Lady Colonels. Bryant tallied a career-high 15 points against Milwaukee and went for 10 against Louisville. She has knocked down six three-pointers during that stretch.

Presbyterian (4-3) comes to Richmond having won two straight, including a wild 58-57 victory over Big South foe Charleston Southern on Wednesday. Karlee Taylor (10.7), Shonda Burnside (9.9), Dria David (9.7) and Mariah Piertrowski (9.7) all average around 10 points per game for the offensively-balanced Blue Hose. Devin Fothergill, who has started the last two games for PC, hails from Somerset, Ky. and is a graduate of Southwestern High School.

Friday night will be the first-ever meeting between EKU and Presbyterian.

Marshall (3-2) is fresh off a 10-point win over Southern at the A&M Classic in College Station, Texas over Thanksgiving Break. Shay Weaver leads the Thundering Herd with 10.6 points per game, while Chukwuka Ezeigbo averages 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

EKU is 16-4 all-time against Marshall, although the Lady Colonels have not played the Thundering Herd in a decade. EKU won the last meeting between the two programs, 95-73, on Dec. 1, 2002 in Huntington.

Jackson State (1-4) is coming off a 72-48 loss to Navy over Thanksgiving Break. Tiffany Kellum paces the Lady Tigers with 10.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

EKU is 0-1 all-time against Jackson State, losing its only previous matchup with Lady Tigers, 79-75, on Dec. 20, 1997 in Birmingham. Current EKU head coach Chrissy Roberts went for 15 points on five three-pointers in that game.

Here is the complete 2012 Comfort Suites Invitational Schedule:

Friday

Marshall vs. Jackson State, 4:30 p.m.
EKU vs. Presbyterian College, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday
Presbyterian vs. TBD, 2:00 p.m.
EKU vs. TBD, 4:30 p.m.