QUINCY, Ill.—The University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2012-13 season—a 65-62 decision to host Quincy University—Saturday afternoon, but the Screaming Eagles did not go down quietly.
Trailing 63-55 with 2:37 to play in the contest, USI put together one final push to keep its undefeated record intact.
Sophomore forward/center Mary O’Keefe began the run with a pair of free throws; then junior guard Stephanie Carpenter drained a three-pointer to bring the Eagles to within three (63-60) with 1:38 to play in the contest.
USI (11-1, 3-1 GLVC) drew to within a point with 52 seconds left when sophomore forward/center Anna Hackert, who was plagued with foul trouble during the final 16 minutes of the game, hit a layup after grabbing an offensive rebound.
Following a defensive stand, the Eagles had a pair of opportunities to take the lead in the final 30 seconds.
The first attempt was a three-pointer by sophomore guard Taylor Stevenson, which would have given USI a two-point lead. Instead, the shot missed its mark and Quincy’s Felisha Loggins corralled the rebound before being fouled.
Loggins made just one of her ensuing two free throw attempts, giving the Eagles another shot to either tie the contest or take the lead in the final 16 seconds.
Once again, the Eagles went for the win as Carpenter fired up a shot from the left wing that went in-and-out and into the hands of Quincy’s Lucy Cramsey with less than five seconds to play. Cramsey missed the second shot of her two free throws, giving USI a chance to tie, but junior guard Ariel Barnes’ desperation three-pointer at the buzzer could not find its mark as Quincy held on for the three-point win.
“First off, I thought Ariel’s three at the buzzer was going in,†Head Coach Rick Stein said. “I felt good about getting the ball into Stephanie’s hands. We set a play to get her open on the wing and I told her if she had the shot to take it. Getting the ball into her hands was the right decision.â€
USI led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Quincy used a 16-4 run to end the period and take a 32-28 lead into the break. The Hawks scored the final six points of the period to grab momentum heading into the intermission.
The Eagles rallied from a 39-31 deficit in the second half to tie the score at 42 with a little more than 12 minutes to play. Quincy, however, outscored the Eagles 17-8 during the next 6:30 to build a 59-50 lead with 5:34 left on the clock.
“At no time did I think we were out of the game,†Stein said. “The end of the first half hurt us though. They made a nice run to take the lead. We needed to shorten that run and we didn’t, it was a big part of the game.â€
Carpenter, who drained four three-pointers, led the Eagles with 18 points, while Hackert had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Hannah Weedman had 21 points, while Cramsey had 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Hawks, who out-rebounded the Eagles 45-35.
USI returns to action Thursday at 5:15 p.m. when it hosts Saint Joseph’s College at the Physical Activities Center.
