Eagles pull away from Bearcats for GLVC Tourney-opening win

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.—For 16 minutes, it looked as if University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball would have its hands full in its Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup against No. 8-seeded Southwest Baptist University.
 
The Screaming Eagles, however, closed the first half with a 9-2 run and then proceeded to shoot a blistering 70.4 percent (19-27) from the field in the second half as they won, 92-59, in a route, to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
 
USI (23-4) found itself in a battle with the Bearcats early in the contest as the two teams played to a 15-15 draw through the first eight minutes of the opening period. The Eagles used a 6-0 run to close the opening quarter and led 32-25 midway through the second period.
 
Southwest Baptist (16-14), however, scored five straight points to cut USI’s lead to just two points (32-3) with four minutes to play in the opening half.
 
Sophomore forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) hit a three-pointer, however, as USI went up by five; then following a basket by junior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio), Raley scored again on a layup to put USI up, 39-32, with just over two minutes left in the half.
 
Fifth-year senior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) followed a Southwest Baptist free throw with a jumper with just over a minute left in the half, and USI went into the break with a 41-33 lead.
 
Junior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana), who hit two three-pointers early in the first quarter, opened the third period with a quick basket, but Raley banked in a three-pointer to give USI a 13-point lead with just a minute gone by in the second half.
 
The Eagles saw their lead briefly shrink back to eight points on a couple occasions throughout the next two-plus minutes, but pair of three-pointers by fifth-year senior guard Ashley Hunter (Flossmoor, Illinois) jump-started a 15-5 run which left the Eagles with a comfortable 65-47 advantage heading into the fourth period.
 
USI, which went 10-for-10 from the field in the final 10 minutes of the game, scored eight straight points to begin the final quarter and extend its lead to 26 points with just over six minutes to play. The Eagles’ lead ballooned to as much as 38 points as junior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) scored on a layup with just under three minutes to play to cap off what turned out to be a 40-10 second-half run.
 
Haithcock and Raley each had 15 points to lead the Eagles, who had nine different players finish with at least six points. Blackwell added 12 points and matched Raley with a game-high seven rebounds, while Hunter finished with eight points as USI’s bench outscored Southwest Baptist’s reserves, 51-15.
 
Freshman guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) added seven points and a career-high seven assists.
 
USI, which out-rebounded the Bearcats, 40-30, also connected on a season-high 57.9 percent (11-19) of its three-point attempts, all while outscoring Southwest Baptist, 38-14, in the paint.
 
Freshman guard Kelsey Blakemore paced the Bearcats with a game-high 17 points, while senior guard Kyleigh Vaught added 11 points and five assists.
 
USI returns to action Saturday at noon when it takes on the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between No. 4-seeded Truman State University and No. 5-seeded Lewis University. The GLVC Championship game is Sunday at 1 p.m.