Despite missing four players and two starters, University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball rallied from a six-point third-quarter deficit to earn a 79-74 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over visiting Southwest Baptist University Saturday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena.
The Screaming Eagles (9-2, 3-0 GLVC) trailed 59-53 with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter before using an 8-2 run to tie the contest at 61-61 heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
USI carried that momentum into the final period as it scored nine straight points to build a commanding 70-61 advantage. Senior forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) had a pair of buckets to open the period, while fifth-year senior guard Ashley Hunter (Flossmoor, Illinois) drained one of her four three pointers to give USI a seven-point advantage.
Junior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) capped the run off with a second-chance bucket as USI took control of the game.
Southwest Baptist (8-6, 3-3 GLVC), which overcame a double-digit first-quarter deficit to take a 43-41 lead at the intermission, slowly chipped away at USI’s advantage, eventually closing to within 77-74 with less than 30 seconds to play.
The Bearcats had a golden opportunity at to earn a potential game-tying possession after a pair of missed free throws, but Hunter picked up the offensive rebounds with less than 10 seconds to play, was fouled and hit the subsequent free throws to seal the five-point victory for the Eagles.
Hunter finished the game with a career-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists, while Brown added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles, who out-rebounded Southwest Baptist, 41-32, while freshman guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) added 12 points, six rebounds three assists and two blocks.
Senior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) added eight points and a pair of assists as she paired with Shafford to run the point guard position for a majority of the game. Robbe came off the bench to finish with four points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Bearcats were led by senior guard Kyleigh Vaught, who finished with a game-high 25 points on the strength of six three-pointers.
USI returns to action next Saturday at noon (CST) when it travels to Indianapolis to take on the University of Indianapolis in a GLVC East Division contest.
