HOUSTON – The HCU women's basketball team returns to Sharp Gym on Saturday afternoon to host Stephen F. Austin in a 1 p.m. Southland Conference matchup.

The Huskies enter the contest at 8-19 overall and 6-14 in conference play , coming off a narrow battle earlier this week. HCU is 5-6 at home this season and will look to capitalize on its home floor against one of the league's top teams.

Stephen F. Austin comes into the weekend with a 21-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in Southland play. The Ladyjacks average 76.9 points per game while allowing just 67.1, and they are shooting 44.2 percent from the field as a team. In conference games only, SFA is averaging 78.6 points per contest and holds opponents to 66.5 per game.

The first meeting between the teams came on Jan. 10 in Nacogdoches, where SFA earned an 87-67 win. HCU will look to adjust defensively and control the tempo as it faces a Ladyjack squad that ranks among the conference leaders in scoring and three-point production.

Saturday's matchup begins a pivotal closing stretch for the Huskies. HCU will return to Sharp Gym on Monday, Mar. 2 at 5 p.m. to host Texas A&M–Corpus Christi before turning its attention to the Southland Conference Tournament, set for Mar. 9–12 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.