EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball looks to capture the 700th win in program history Monday at 5:30 p.m. when it hosts the University of Indianapolis in its Great Lakes Valley Conference-opener at Screaming Eagles Arena.
The Screaming Eagles (4-1) also visit the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before resuming non-conference play December 10 against Kentucky Christian University.
Both games are open to spectators, though masks are currently required at both venues.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for Monday’s men’s and women’s doubleheader at GoUSIEagles.com, while both contests will be aired live on 95.7 The Spin as well as the GLVC Sports Network. Live Stats, audio and video links also can be accessed on GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
• Eagles upset No. 6 Ashland for third straight win. USI Women’s Basketball earned a 63-58 upset win over No. 6 Ashland in its only game last week. The Screaming Eagles built a 17-point third-quarter lead and held on for the five-point win thanks, in part, to a dominating performance in the lane that saw USI outscore Ashland, 42-24, in the paint.
• Last week’s leaders. Senior forward Ashlynn Brown and fifth-year senior guard Emma DeHart each scored 13 points to lead USI in its win over Ashland last week. Dehart also had three assists and a game-high four steals, while junior forward Hannah Haithcock and sophomore forward Meredith Raley each chipped in 10 points. Raley also had a game-high eight rebounds, while Haithcock had USI’s only block. Junior guard Tori Handley dished out a team-best four assists.
• Season Leaders. Haithcock averages 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles, while fifth-year senior guard Ashley Hunter and Raley are averaging 11.2 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Raley leads USI with 6.0 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Addy Blackwell is chipping in a team-high 2.8 assists per appearance. DeHart leads USI with 2.6 steals per game, while Haithcock is averaging a team-high 0.6 blocks per contest.
• Eagles knock off nationally-ranked opponent. The Eagles win over Ashland was their first over a nationally-ranked opponent since they defeated No. 11 Central Missouri, 52-45, November 13, 2019. Ashland was the highest ranked team USI has defeated since taking down No. 2 Lewis, 71-66, on March 7, 2015.
• Eagles going for 700th win Monday. The Eagles are vying for the 700th win in program history when they host Indianapolis Monday. USI Head Coach Rick Stein, whose been on the sidelines for 551 of those wins as an assistant and head coach, is just eight wins away from his 400th career victory.
• Forcing the issue. USI is making opposing offenses uncomfortable in the first five games as the Eagles are forcing their opposition into an average of 22.0 turnovers per contest.
• Haithcock enters Top 50 in scoring. Haithcock cracked USI Women’s Basketball’s Top 50 in the scoring column during USI’s win over Saginaw Valley State. She is currently tied for No. 49 with 541 career points.
• USI picked to win East Division again. The Eagles were picked to repeat as GLVC East Division champions in 2021-22. USI won the East Division title last season, marking the third consecutive season when the league has been split into divisions that the Eagles have captured the East Division title.
• Double-figures. USI has already had six different players reach double-figures in the scoring column this year, including five players that have scored 10-or-more points in multiple games. The Eagles had nine different players reach double-figures in the scoring column last year, with eight players having had 10 or more points in multiple games.
• About UIndy. The Greyhounds are 1-4 after earning an 85-54 win over Lake Erie last Wednesday in Indianapolis. Junior guard/forward Sadie Hill averages 16.4 points per game to lead UIndy, while fifth-year senior guard Taylor Drury is chipping in 11.5 points per contest, respectively. Fifth-year senior guard Mickey Sasson is contributing 6.6 points to go along with a team-high 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per appearance.
• About UIS. The Prairie Stars are off to a 4-1 start as they enter GLVC play with a home game against McKendree on Monday. Junior guard Lauren Ladowski averages 18.4 points per game to lead the Stars, while sophomore guard Malea Jackson is chipping in 10.0 points per contest.
• Record book watch. The Eagles have one player making moves inside the USI Women’s Basketball Record Books:
–Emma DeHart ranks No. 7 on USI’s all-time list for three-point field goal attempts (357), No. 11 in made three-pointers (111) and tied for No. 21 in points (945). DeHart is 53 points away from matching Deb Pope for 19th and is vying to become the 19th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
–Hannah Haithcock is No. 47 on USI’s all-time scoring list (541).
• Magic Mark: 75 points. The Eagles are 424-78 (.845) all-time when scoring at least 75 points. USI is 297-29 (.911) since 1996-97 when reaching the 75-point plateau.
