Junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) scored a game-high 22 points as the University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team cruised to an 89-62 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over host University of Illinois Springfield Saturday afternoon.
USI (7-1, 2-0 GLVC) used runs of 7-0 and 5-0 to grab a 24-19 lead after one quarter of play; then scored 16 straight points in the second frame to build a commanding 19 point lead four minutes into the period. The Screaming Eagles shot 61.3 percent (19-31) in the first half as they went into the break with a comfortable 50-32 halftime advantage.
The Eagles, who wrapped a pair of 4-0 spurts around the end of the first half and beginning the second, expanded their lead to 22 points early in the third quarter. They led by as many as 30 points on a pair of occasions in the final 10 minutes before settling on the 27-point win.
USI shot 60.0 percent (33-55) from the field for the game, marking the first time since November 22, 2013, that the Eagles have posted a .600 shooting percentage.
Grooms, who went 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown, also had three assists and three steals; while junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) chipped in a career-high tying 19 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Dahlstrom was 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Junior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) dished out a career-high 10 assists to set up the Eagles’ offense, while senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) and senior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) each had nine points. Marcum also had four assists and three steals, while Wascher had a team-high nine rebounds.
USI also got eight points from sophomore center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) as well as seven points from senior forward Tasia Brewer (Terre Haute, Indiana).
The Eagles return to action Wednesday at 6 p.m. when they host Kentucky State University for a non-conference tilt at the Physical Activities Center. USI resumes GLVC play January 5 when it hosts William Jewell College.
