University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball concludes the 2018-19 regular season this week when it visits the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Illinois, and McKendree University Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lebanon, Illinois.
Both Great Lakes Valley Conference games will be aired on 95.7 The Spin and on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats, audio and video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI (18-8, 11-5 GLVC) looks to build momentum by completing regular-season sweeps of Illinois Springfield and McKendree before beginning the GLVC Tournament March 8 in Edwardsville, Illinois. USI defeated the Prairie Stars, 74-47, February 16 after edging the Bearcats, 66-62, two days earlier.
Sophomore forward Imani Guy (Columbus, Indiana) had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Eagles against Illinois Springfield, while junior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) added 16 points. Junior guard Ashley Johnson (Louisville, Kentucky) had 16 points, six assists and four steals to pace the Eagles against McKendree, while senior center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Guy chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds.
On the year, Guy leads the Eagles with 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while senior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indian) is chipping in 12.2 points and 3.2 assists per contest. DeHart is contributing 10.0 points per appearance, while Eschweiler is averaging 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing. Johnson is producing 9.2 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per contest.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
• Eagles close out PAC with win over UIndy. Davidson had a career-high 25 points as USI Women’s Basketball defeated Indianapolis, 80-73, in the final women’s basketball game at the PAC. The Eagles used a 15-2 first-quarter run to jump out to a 12-point halftime lead; then went on an 11-0 second-half run to squash the Greyhound’s comeback bid.
• Seniors honored. The Eagles honored their four seniors—Davidson, Eschweiler, guard Milana Matias and forward/center Mikayla Rowan—following Saturday’s game against Indianapolis. This year’s senior class has played in a combined 338 games, recording 1,829 points, 1,149 rebounds, 400 assists, 193 steals, and 137 blocks during the previous four seasons; all while posting an 82-31 overall record and a 50-20 mark in GLVC play.
• Lewis hands Eagles 15-point setback. USI suffered a 72-57 setback to No. 11/15 Lewis to begin its final week at the PAC. The Eagles could not recover from a 28-8 run that the Flyers used during the last 13 minutes of the first half. Guy had 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss.
• Statistical leaders. Guy averaged 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds to lead the Eagles last week, while Davidson averaged 16.0 points and 3.5 assists per game. DeHart chipped in 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per appearance, while Johnson contributed 9.0 and 8.5 points per contest, respectively.
• GLVC Tournament Points Rating System. With one week of GLVC play remaining, the GLVC Tournament Points Rating System (GTPRS) has the Eagles in fourth place with a rating of 3.63. Drury (4.81) leads the league, while Lewis (4.44) and Truman State (3.69) are second and third, respectively. Maryville (3.53) is fifth, while Bellarmine (2.94), McKendree (2.88) and William Jewell (2.84) round out the top eight teams. The GTPRS will determine the participants and seeding of the GLVC Tournament in 2018-19.
• USI one of five teams to clinch GLVC Tourney berth. According to the most recent GTPRS, the Eagles are one of five teams to have clinched a spot in the GLVC Tournament. They are joined by Drury, Lewis, Truman State and Maryville.
• USI seventh in regional rankings (2/20). The Eagles are ranked seventh in the first of three NCAA II Midwest Region rankings. The GLVC has four teams in this week’s ranking, led by No. 1 Drury and No. 2 Lewis. Truman State is No. 6. The NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament consists of eight teams, three of which will be automatic bids awarded to the GLVC, GLIAC and GMAC. The other five teams will consist of the highest ranked teams in the region.
• Physical Activities Center. Last week the Eagles said good bye to the PAC. Opening for the 1980-81 season, USI Women’s Basketball posted a 363-194 record all-time at the PAC, including a 217-81 record under Head Coach Rick Stein. The Eagles have hosted two NCAA II Regional Tournaments at the PAC—1998 and 2002—and played host to the 1998 GLVC Tournament as well as GLVC Tournament games in 2010, 2011 and 2014. USI begins play in the Screaming Eagles Arena starting in 2019-20.
• PAC Fast Facts.
–USI opened the PAC with a 67-57 loss to Saint Joseph’s College in 1980-81.
–The Eagles’ 100th game at the PAC was a 77-72 win over Kentucky Wesleyan to end the 1987-88 season.
–USI’s 100th victory at the PAC was a 97-74 win over IUPU-Fort Wayne in that same season.
–USI evened its all-time record at the PAC to 106-106 with an 82-70 win over Delta State on December 15, 1996. The Eagles have not been under .500 since.
–The Eagles have not had a losing season at the PAC since the 1991-92 campaign, going 299-98 since the 1992-93 campaign.
–USI has had three perfect seasons (1996-97, 2000-01, 2017-18) and five perfect regular seasons (1997-98, 2009-10) at the PAC.
–USI’s longest home winning streak at the PAC is 33 games (1996-98). The Eagles second-longest home winning streak was 28 games (2017-18), while the third longest streak was 23 games (2000-02).
