University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball shot 76.9 percent (10-13) from the field in the first 10 minutes of the contest and never looked back as it cruised to an 87-59 victory over former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Kentucky State University Wednesday evening at the Physical Activities Center.
Junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) led the effort as she connected on her first seven shots en route to her second straight 20-point outing. Grooms had 18 of her team-best 20 points in the first half as the Screaming Eagles led 46-21 at the intermission.
USI (8-1), a winner of three straight, used a 9-0 run to build a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter; then used another 9-0 run on its way to the 25-point halftime lead. Junior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) ended the half with a buzzer-beating shot from half court.
Kentucky State (3-6) trimmed the Eagles’ advantage to 17 points early in the second half as junior guard Brittani Rizzi hit a pair of three-pointers in the first two minutes of the third period. USI, however, responded with a 10-4 run to take the wind out of the Thorobreds’ sails and increase its advantage to 58-35 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Eagles, who also got 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists from junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois), led 68-46 heading into the fourth quarter. They used a 7-0 run in the final period to bulge their lead to as many as 31 before settling on the 28-point victory.
In addition to Grooms and Dahlstrom, the Eagles got nine points from senior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) as well as eight points from sophomore center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri). Harshbarger, senior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) and senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) each contributed seven points, while senior center Ruta Savickaite (Vilnius, Lithuania) finished with a career-high eight rebounds.
USI’s defensive pressured was an issue for the Thorobreds throughout the contest as the Eagles forced Kentucky State into 31 turnovers. Those offensive miscues led to 33 points for the Eagles, who also held a 44-14 scoring advantage inside the paint.
The Eagles return to action December 16 when they take on the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras in the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico. USI also plays the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon December 17 before returning the PAC December 30 to take on Midwest Region foe Ohio Dominican University.
