Dahlstrom finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, while Grooms had 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
USI (22-2, 14-1 GLVC) led from the outset following a three-pointer by senior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) in the team’s first possession. The Eagles eventually built 16-9 advantage five minutes into the first period following three straight buckets by Dahlstrom.
William Jewell (11-11, 8-7 GLVC), however, fought back, tying the contest at 20-20 and at 23-23 with just under seven minutes left in the second period.
The Eagles, though, reeled off 12 consecutive points from that juncture and took a 37-25 lead into the intermission that they would not relinquish. Grooms had seven points in the surge, including one of USI’s five first-half three-pointers.
Keyed by a pair of three-pointers by freshman forward Kaiti Butaud, the Cardinals pulled to within six (50-44) heading into the fourth quarter, but a 6-0 USI surge that featured a Grooms steal and layup, as well as a coast-to-coast bucket by junior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana), put the Eagles back in front by 12 (58-46) with less than six minutes to play in the contest.
Butaud drained another three-pointer to get the Cardinals to within nine moments later; but a three-pointer by Harshbarger—it was USI’s only trifecta of the second half—with five minutes to play pushed the Eagles’ lead back to 12 as their cushion remained in double digits throughout the remainder of the contest.
Davidson added 13 points and four rebounds for the Eagles, while Harshbarger chipped in seven points, five rebounds three assists and three steals. Sophomore guard/forward Morgan Sherwood (Charleston, Illinois) contributed seven points off the bench.
Butaud led the Cardinals with 15 points after going 5-of-11 from three-point range, while senior forward Katie Finn produced 13 points and three steals.
USI returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it takes on Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hawks (10-13, 6-9 GLVC) suffered a 68-53 home loss to Bellarmine University Thursday evening.
Notes: USI improved to 30-3 in GLVC play throughout the last two seasons following Thursday’s win and has won 34 of its last 38 conference games dating back to the end of the 2015-16 season…USI (4.50) maintained its lead over Drury (4.43) in the GLVC Tournament Points Rating System following Thursday’s games…the Eagles’ five three-pointers in the first half were more than their combined amount (4) from the previous two games…Dahlstrom has shot 50.0 percent or better in seven straight games and nine of the last 10 contests.
