USI Women’s Basketball secures road victory to open OVC play

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball secured a 75-37 victory on the road against Southeast Missouri State University Friday night to open the Ohio Valley Conference season.

Friday’s impressive win improved USI’s overall record to 6-5, while Southeast Missouri dropped to 3-9 on the campaign. Southern Indiana also starts 1-0 in conference play after a win against the Redhawks for the second consecutive season.
 
Southern Indiana had a strong start to the game, taking a quick 7-0 advantage. Redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) scored USI’s first five points on a three and a runner in the lane. Defensively, the Eagles forced Southeast Missouri into difficult shots and cleaned the glass. Senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) also established an early presence with seven points in the first period. USI closed out the first quarter with a defensive stop and a layup to lead 23-10 after one. Southern Indiana opened the game by shooting over 50 percent and holding the Redhawks below 20 percent in the first quarter.
 
The Screaming Eagles’ solid defensive work led to more offensive opportunities to begin the second period. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) tallied seven straight points at the beginning of the second stanza to hit 10 points for the ninth consecutive game. A three-point jumper by Shafford put USI ahead by 18, 30-12, two minutes into the second. As Southern Indiana continued to share the ball and the scoring, USI’s first-half lead climbed to as high as 23 with three minutes left until the intermission. The defense held SEMO scoreless for the last two and a half minutes, as USI took a 41-19 halftime lead.
 
The second half began much like the first with Southern Indiana’s defense making things difficult for Southeast Missouri. On the other end, the Screaming Eagles received makes from beyond the arc by Blackwell and senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to help spark a 12-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, pushing USI’s lead to 53-21. Raley and freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) got some inside looks to help USI outscore SEMO 20-5 in the third frame and carry a 61-24 lead to the fourth.
 
The Eagles closed out the 75-37 win with all 14 fourth-quarter points coming off the bench. USI totaled 32 bench points on Friday night.
 
Southern Indiana shot 40 percent (27-67) for the game with eight makes from three and 13 made free throws. USI also outrebounded SEMO 49-34. Raley recorded her third career double-double and first of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds while also dishing out five assists. Shafford led all scorers with 15 points, and Gannon poured in 13 points for the third consecutive contest. The Eagles’ defense held the Redhawks to 20 percent shooting (12-60) in the game.