USI fights back in big OVC win against Lindenwood

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returned home to Liberty Arena on Thursday and delivered a strong, gutsy win in front of the home crowd with a 70-66 victory against Lindenwood University.

The hearty fight and late-game execution helped Southern Indiana improve to 13-5 on the season and 5-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. USI ended the night in a three-way tie for third in the conference standings. Lindenwood dropped to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in OVC play.

Lindenwood jumped out to a 7-2 lead, as it took nearly four minutes before Southern Indiana tallied its first bucket from the floor, courtesy of graduate forward Madi Webb. Webb wound up scoring USI’s first six points of the contest. Coming off her three-point record-setting day last Sunday, senior guard Vanessa Shafford canned her first three to tie the game at 13 with 2:37 left in the opening quarter. USI continued to attack the hoop to take a 19-17 lead to the second period.

A triple from sophomore guard Sophia Loden early in the second quarter pushed the Screaming Eagles ahead by five, 22-17. Lindenwood retook the lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half, 27-24, to force Southern Indiana into a timeout. Later in the frame, Webb continued her strong start to help propel USI back ahead, 30-29. Webb tallied 12 first-half points. However, the Lions finished the first half on an 11-3 run to take a 40-33 halftime lead.

After a couple of quick baskets from Southern Indiana to start the second half, Lindenwood pushed its advantage to its largest lead of nine, 46-37, two minutes into the third quarter. The combination of Webb and fellow graduate forward Meredith Raley got the Eagles going in the second half, helping cut into the deficit. Late in the third, Shafford converted a three-point play to bring USI back within one possession, 55-52, in the final 90 seconds of the quarter.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the first five minutes of the fourth stanza. Inside the five-minute mark, Shafford drew USI to within one before Webb put the Eagles in front, 62-61, seconds later. The game would even up three times over the next three minutes. Southern Indiana utilized a timeout in the final 40 seconds with the contest tied at 66. In the ensuing possession, Shafford splashed home the go-ahead triple with 18 seconds remaining to give the Screaming Eagles a three-point advantage. Shafford went on to hit a free throw and grab the final rebound to put the cherry on top of a big conference win for Southern Indiana.

USI shot for over 47 percent (26-55) in the game with four made threes. The Screaming Eagles were above 82 percent (14-17) at the free-throw stripe. The defense forced 20 turnovers, which led to 26 points for USI. Southern Indiana also had a 14-point advantage in the paint. Webb led all scorers with a season-high 18 points on 6-8 shooting and 6-6 at the foul line. Shafford posted 16 points with five boards and five assists. Raley recorded 15 points in the game.

Lindenwood shot 46 percent (23-50) from the floor and 44 percent (8-18) from beyond the arc. The Lions were over 85 percent (12-14) at the charity stripe. Lindenwood won the battle on the glass, 31-27. Four Lions finished in double figures, led by sophomore guard Gracy Wernli’s 14 points.

The Screaming Eagles are back at Liberty Arena Saturday at 1 p.m. against Western Illinois University. The game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM.

Saturday is Military Appreciation Day, and tickets are free for veterans and their guests (limit to five per veteran) with proof of service. Plus, there will be free t-shirts for USI students while supplies last. Military Appreciation Day is sponsored by the USI Student Veteran Association.

Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.