EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball earned an 88-75 victory in front of a loud home crowd at Screaming Eagles Arena Friday night against Western Illinois University, securing a historic first win as an NCAA Division I program against another D-I school.
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Southern Indiana had a hot start in the first three minutes of the opening quarter, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) connected on two baskets before back-to-back threes from senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) and junior guard Lexie Green (Indianapolis, Indiana).
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After gaining a 21-9 lead after the first quarter, USI’s defense continued to be aggressive, forcing 13 turnovers by Western Illinois within the first 15 minutes of the contest. USI built a 32-13 lead, but midway through the second, Western Illinois went on a 7-0 run in a span of one minute and 25 seconds to cut USI’s advantage down to 12. The Screaming Eagles responded quickly after a called timeout, as Shafford hit a triple to push USI’s lead back to 15 with 5:17 left in the second quarter.
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Western Illinois came back to within nine of USI with 2:03 left in the first half, but Southern Indiana was able to push it back to double figures before halftime. Senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) made a solid cut to the basket with 1:28 left in the second, receiving a bounce pass from Shafford for a layup. USI led 41-30 going into the halftime locker room.
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The Screaming Eagles outrebounded the Leathernecks 18-16 in the first half. USI went 15-31 for 48 percent overall and 5-10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Western Illinois shot 12-28 for 43 percent and 3-6 from three. Defensively, USI forced 18 turnovers for 21 points with 10 steals in the first half. The top scorer at the break was Shafford with 12 points on 5-6 shooting.
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The Leathernecks trimmed USI’s lead down to nine again early in the third quarter, but once again, the Screaming Eagles had a quick answer. Handley followed a two-point shot from Shafford with a three-pointer two minutes into the third to give USI a 14-point advantage. Western Illinois’ redshirt junior guard Jada Thorpe tried to will the Leathernecks back close with eight points in the third quarter at the free throw line, but USI’s Haithcock had a strong quarter of her own, scoring eight points in the third to reach 10 or more points for the 50th time in her USI career. USI led 61-50 through three periods of play.
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Haithcock continued her solid second half with a basket and a foul with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. With USI leading 65-54, the Leathernecks responded with four straight points to bring the game to within seven, the closest Western Illinois had been in the game since USI led 15-8 with 3:40 left in the first quarter.
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With 6:12 remaining in the fourth, Thorpe made her way to the charity stripe again for Western Illinois, hitting all three free throws in the trip and bringing the Leathernecks to within four of USI 70-66. Southern Indiana had another answer, as a layup from Haithcock and a three-pointer by junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) increased USI’s lead back to nine, 75-66, with 5:42 left in the fourth. Haithcock later followed with another bucket to score her 22nd point of the game and 20th of the second half to give USI a 77-67 advantage with 4:39 left to play. Raley and the Screaming Eagles put the finishing touches on the game, as Raley hit two more three-pointers and scored eight points in the last 3:15 to seal an 88-75 win for the Screaming Eagles.
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Haithcock finished with 22 points, the fifth 20-point outing of her career. She went 8-12 overall and hit six free throws in 27 minutes. Following her eight late points, Raley scored 18 off the bench for USI. Shafford recorded 16 points on 6-8 shooting and five rebounds, while Handley scored 13 with four rebounds and five steals. Also of note, graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) pulled down 10 rebounds and senior guard Soffia Rieckers (Evansville, Indiana) posted seven assists.
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USI shot 50 percent as a team, going 30-60 from the floor, and hit eight triples. The Screaming Eagles won the rebounding battle 35-28, including 10 offensive boards. USI totaled 22 assists, 15 steals, and 31 points off WIU turnovers. The Leathernecks shot 42 percent, hitting 22 of 52 shots, and made seven threes. Both squads hit over 20 free throws, as USI went 20-27 from the stripe and Western Illinois went 24-31. The Leathernecks’ Thorpe made 14 free throws, missing only one attempt, on her way to 19 points to lead Western Illinois.
