Senior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) scored a career-high 35 points as No. 14 University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball rallied from a nine-point first half deficit to defeat host University of Indianapolis, 73-66, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference bout Saturday afternoon.
Dahlstrom went 15-of-20 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, while grabbing nine rebounds as the Screaming Eagles earned their eighth straight win.
USI (8-0, 2-0 GLVC) used a dominating effort in the third quarter that saw the Eagles outscore the Greyhounds, 21-5. The Eagles held UIndy to just 1-of-12 (.083) shooting and forced the Greyhounds into six third-quarter turnovers as they turned a 41-37 halftime deficit into a 58-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
UIndy (1-7, 0-2 GLVC), which trailed 71-54 with four minutes to play in the game, made a late charge to make things interesting; but the damage the Eagles inflicted in the first 15 minutes of the second half proved to be too much for the Greyhounds to overcome.
In addition to Dahlstrom, who also had a pair of blocks, the Eagles got 13 points from senior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) as well as nine points, six assists and four steals from junior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana). Junior forward Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) added eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks to the Eagles’ cause.
Senior guard Martha Burse had 28 points and five steals to lead the Greyhounds.
The Eagles return to action December 16 at 3 p.m. when they resume non-conference play against NAIA opponent Harris-Stowe State University at the Physical Activities Center. USI visits 2017 NCAA II Tournament participant Lincoln Memorial University December 19 before finishing the non-conference slate December 31 against Grace College at the PAC.
