University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball resumes Great Lakes Valley Conference play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles visit Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. The Eagles also visit the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both games will be aired on 95.7 The Spin as well as the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats, audio and video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI (8-3, 1-0 GLVC) is looking to snap a two-game skid when it takes the court Thursday against the Saints. The Eagles suffered a 74-71 road loss to defending national champion University of Central Missouri December 18 before falling, 86-82, to 2018 national runner-up and 2017 NCAA II champion Ashland University Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles have five players averaging better than 9.0 points per game, with senior center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) and senior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana) pacing USI. Eschweiler is averaging a team-best 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while Davidson is chipping in 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 4.2 assists per game. Sophomore forward Imani Guy (Columbus, Indiana) is contributing 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) and junior guard Ashley Johnson (Louisville, Kentucky) are averaging 9.5 and 9.2 points per game, respectively.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
• Another close loss for Eagles. USI Women’s Basketball’s 86-82 setback to No. 8 Ashland marked USI’s third loss of the year and its third loss by four or fewer points. USI lost by one at Northwood to open the year and by three at No. 15 and defending NCAA II champion Central Missouri December 18.
• Playing catchup. After not trailing in a game for nearly 110 minutes of action, the Eagles have found themselves playing catchup in each of their last two games. USI erased an 11-point first-half deficit in its loss to No. 15 Central Missouri before cutting a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to one in a three-point loss. The Eagles trimmed an 11-point first-half deficit to two in its loss to No. 8 Ashland and trimmed a 13-point third-quarter hole to four late in the game.
• Rare two-game losing streak. USI’s losses to Central Missouri and Ashland mark the first time since the 2015-16 season that the Eagles have suffered consecutive losses in the regular season and just the second time in the last three seasons, post-season included, that USI has lost two straight games.
• Eagles give up 86 points. USI gave up 86 points in its four-point loss to Ashland, marking the most points given up by the Eagles since surrendering 88 points in a five-point loss to Bellarmine January 16, 2017, which coincidently was the last time USI lost a home game. Despite giving up 86 points, USI still held Ashland, the nation’s second-highest scoring team, to eight points under its season-average of 93.9 points per game.
• Eagles home win streak stops at 28. The Eagles home winning streak ended at 28 with its 86-82 loss to No. 8 Ashland. It was USI’s second-longest home winning streak in program history. USI won 33 straight games at the PAC from 1996-98 and 23 straight home games from 2000-02.
• Guy, Johnson notch career highs. Sophomore forward Imani Guy and junior guard Ashley Johnson each had career highs in the loss to Ashland. Guy recorded her first-career double-double with 18 points to go along with a career-high 11 rebounds and four blocks. Johnson finished with 11 points and a career-high seven assists.
• Foul trouble plagues Eagles in loss. Early foul trouble plagued the Eagles in their loss to Central Missouri. USI had three starters with three fouls heading into the intermission, with senior center Kacy Eschweiler being limited to just two minutes of playing time during the first half.
• Brown, Turner come up big in loss. Freshman forward Ashlynn Brown and sophomore center Audrey Turner each posted season highs in the Eagles loss to the Jennies. Turner scored six points, while Brown scored all nine of her points in the final 10 minutes to aid the Eagles in their comeback bid.
• Spreading the wealth. The Eagles have six players averaging at least 7.0 points per game and three players averaging in double-figures. USI also has had six players lead it in scoring this season.
• 20-point efforts. Guy’s career-high 25 points in USI’s win over Michigan Tech marked a season-high for the Eagles and made her the fourth different Eagle to notch a 20-point game this season. USI has had eight different players reach double-figures in the scoring column this year and six different players reach double-figures multiple times.
