USI posts home win against Oakland City behind Raley’s 26 points

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returned to Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, on Saturday afternoon with a 70-45 win against Oakland City University behind 26 points from graduate forward Meredith Raley.

Coming off only its second setback of the non-conference season on Wednesday, Southern Indiana picked up the win on Saturday to improve to 8-2 on the year and 5-0 inside the friendly confines of Liberty Arena.

Southern Indiana and Oakland City went back and forth to start the contest, but after a 6-6 tie at the six-minute mark of the first quarter, USI went on a 9-0 run. Sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan gave the Screaming Eagles an early spark off the bench with a couple of second-chance opportunities on the offensive end. Playing at a high tempo early on, USI’s defense forced 11 first-quarter turnovers, leading to 13 points for the Eagles. USI led 21-12 through the first 10 minutes.

Defenses complicated matters for each offense in the early portion of the second quarter. Neither side could find a consistent offensive rhythm, especially with the jump shot. Both teams went scoreless for three minutes in the middle of the second quarter. An inside look by Buchanan ended the scoreless drought for USI, moving the Eagles ahead by 13, 27-14, at the midway point of the second period. A couple of good defensive clearances and finishes in transition helped Southern Indiana go into halftime up 35-21.

After much success in the first half going into the paint, Southern Indiana continued to lean on its post play to start the second half. Buchanan and Raley reached double figures for the game with inside conversions, helping increase USI’s lead to 46-28 halfway through the third. In fact, Raley scored 12 points in the third quarter to hit 20 points. USI had its best period of the game shooting for 50 percent and outscoring the Mighty Oaks 25-11 in the third quarter. The Screaming Eagles led 60-32 after three quarters.

Raley and the Screaming Eagles added to the big run in the fourth quarter. Southern Indiana’s run reached 15-0 across eight total minutes. Raley was on the brink of matching her career-high mark of 27 points before exiting the game with a little over five minutes remaining in the contest. In the final minutes, Oakland City made a nice push, but Southern Indiana closed out the victory.

Southern Indiana shot over 41 percent (29-70) for the game despite an unkind three-point line as USI shot 2-15 from beyond the arc. The Eagles were 10-12 for 83 percent at the foul line. USI won the rebounding battle, 46-42, and posted 50 points in the paint. The defense forced 28 turnovers with 18 steals, leading to 30 points off turnovers for USI. Sophomore guard Triniti Ralston had seven of USI’s 18 takeaways.

Individually, Raley’s 26 points led all scorers. The forward was 12-16 from the floor and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds in the contest. Buchanan finished with 11 points and five boards.

Oakland City was limited to just over 28 percent shooting (17-60) overall and 20 percent from long range with four three-pointers. The Mighty Oaks were 7-12 for 58 percent at the free-throw stripe. Fifth-year senior guard Emilee Hope tallied her season average of 18 points to lead Oakland City in scoring.

Following final exams in the coming week, the Screaming Eagles conclude the non-conference season next Sunday, December 15, on the road against the top-25 ranked University of Illinois. Tipoff from Champaign, Illinois is set for 1 p.m. CT. Coverage links can be found online at usiscreamingeagles.com.