Despite shooting 53.8 percent from the field, the University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team could not recover from a rough first five minutes as No. 15 Ashland University defeated the Screaming Eagles, 92-64, in a Midwest Region showdown and rematch of last year’s NCAA Division II Tournament opener.
USI (2-1) fell behind 17-2 in the first five minutes and never recovered as Ashland led 24-13 after the end of the first quarter and 47-34 at the break.
The Screaming Eagles cut Ashland’s advantage to nine multiple times in the second quarter, but that was as close as USI could get.
Ashland (3-0), which shot 58.1 percent from the field, opened the second half with an 8-2 run to build a 55-36 advantage, forcing USI Head Coach Rick Stein to call a timeout. The Eagles stretched that lead to 20 midway through the third quarter before taking a 72-48 lead into the final period.
USI’s deficit eventually stretched to as much as 31 points in the late stages of the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) led the Screaming Eagles with 14 points, while junior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) had 12 points. Junior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) and sophomore guard/forwardKaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) each had 10 points, while sophomore guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) had a game-high eight assists to go along with three steals.
USI struggled to take care of the ball throughout the contest as Ashland forced USI into 24 turnovers. Ashland also took 10 more shots than that of USI, which was 12-of-23 from the field in the second half and 28-of-52 for the game.
Sophomore forwards Andi Daugherty and Laina Snyder led Ashland with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Daugherty added five assists and seven rebounds, while Snyder had seven steals.
The Screaming Eagles return to action Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. when they host Alice Lloyd College at the Physical Activities Center.
