USI Women’s Basketball’s championship-winning season ends in WNIT bout against Wisconsin

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball had its 2023-24 championship-winning season come to an end Monday night in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) at Screaming Eagles Arena, as the University of Wisconsin came from behind to defeat the Screaming Eagles, 67-62.
 
The bout on the court generated a lot of excitement and energy throughout the evening as 3,283 fans packed Screaming Eagles Arena to watch Southern Indiana (25-7, 17-1 OVC) host the first-ever Big Ten Conference team to visit USI with Wisconsin (14-16, 6-12 Big Ten) in town. The 3,283 fans also set a new Screaming Eagles Arena record for a women’s basketball game.
 
Southern Indiana made a strong start out of the gate, as senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) canned a straightaway three in USI’s first possession. Under the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, Raley made another bucket to put the Screaming Eagles ahead 10-4. Late in the first quarter, USI extended its lead to double figures and led 24-12 after the first 10 minutes of action. Raley and senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) combined for 14 points in the first.
 
Early in the second quarter, sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) lit it up from beyond the arc, connecting on two three-pointers to give Southern Indiana a 30-12 advantage nearly two minutes into the second stanza. After Wisconsin tried to chip away, USI had the response to keep the Badgers at bay. With a minute remaining until halftime, Saunders chucked up a long-range bomb with the shot clock winding down and stuck it through the bottom of the net. Before the second-quarter buzzer, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) made a second-chance layup, leading USI into the intermission with a 44-25 lead.
 
The second half began with a sluggish start on the offensive end with much credit to both defenses. Wisconsin held USI without points for the first five minutes of the third period, allowing the Badgers to climb back to within 13, 44-31. Southern Indiana broke the field-goal drought with three minutes left in the third, as Saunders buried two three-pointers within 30 seconds to expand USI’s lead to 52-33. Wisconsin continued to fight back, pulling to within 13 once again, 55-42, by the end of the quarter.
 
Wisconsin continued its charge into the fourth quarter, relying heavily on sophomore forward Serah Williams to narrow Southern Indiana’s lead down to single digits. While a layup by Gannon put USI back up by nine just over three minutes into the fourth, the offensive struggles lingered for USI. The Badgers tied the game at 57 after two threes and a pair of free throws before taking the lead for the first time at the 4:25 mark. Williams put the Badgers on her shoulders on both ends of the court down the stretch, helping to not relinquish the lead back to Southern Indiana.
 
For the game, the Screaming Eagles shot just under 34 percent (19-56) overall and 9-17 for over 52 percent from beyond the arc. USI went 15-20 for 75 percent at the foul line. Saunders led Southern Indiana with 18 points with all five of her makes from the field coming from three-point range at a 5-5 mark. Raley recorded 13 points and Gannon tallied 11 points to round out the USI players that scored double digits.
 
Wisconsin ended the game at over 40 percent (20-49) shooting after an inefficient start to the contest. The Badgers knocked five threes and went 22-27 for over 81 percent at the charity stripe. Wisconsin won the battle on the glass, 35-34, and scored 26 transition points. Williams posted her 17^th consecutive double-double with a game-high 24 points and 11 boards. Two other Badgers scored 10-plus in the game.
 
The 2023-24 campaign came to a close following another round of firsts for the USI Women’s Basketball program. The second year in the Ohio Valley Conference and at the Division I level saw USI capture the first-ever D-I team conference championships for USI Athletics with the 2023-24 OVC regular season and 2024 OVC Championship Tournament titles, which also placed USI among rare companies in reclassifying teams to win a conference title. The strong run culminated with USI’s first D-I national postseason tournament appearance and first-round win in the WNIT.
 
Southern Indiana had its best winning streaks and the most wins in seven years. The Screaming Eagles had their best conference record since near the turn of the century and were only the fifth OVC team to win at least 17 conference games. Southern Indiana also surpassed 750 victories in program history. Plus, just within the last couple of weeks, USI received its first-ever ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll at No. 22.
 
Now the program will turn its attention to preparing and defending its championship titles in 2024-25.