Eagles Earn Second Straight Win With Balanced Scoring Attack
Nine University of Southern Indiana Womens Basketball players contributed in the scoring column Saturday as the Screaming Eagles earned a 76-69 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Homecoming at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (12-11, 5-10 GLVC), which shot 51.0 percent from the field, used a 13-4 fourth-quarter run to secure its second straight win.
The Screaming Eagles got scoring contributions from five different players during the run, which staked them to a 68-57 lead with three minutes to play in the contest. Sophomore guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) had four points during the rally, while sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) and junior forward Tasia Brewer (Terre Haute, Indiana) each connected from long range.
USIs run came on the heels of a Missouri-St. Louis three-pointer that trimmed what was once a 10-point third-quarter lead to two points early in the fourth period. It was the second time in the game that the Tritons were able to rally from a large deficit after coming back from seven down in the opening period to take a two-point advantage early in the second frame.
The Eagles, who used an 8-0 surge in the second period en route to building a 39-32 halftime advantage, closed the door on any chance of a Missouri-St. Louis comeback when they used a 7-0 push in the final two minutes of the contest to seal the victory.
Harshbarger and Grooms each had 14 points to lead the Eagles, while sophomore forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) and freshman center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) added 10 and nine points, respectively. Harshbarger added five assists and four steals to her career-high point tally.
USI, which had just 14 turnovers in the contest, benefitted from 21 Missouri-St. Louis turnovers. The Eagles outscored the Tritons, 22-10, off turnovers.
The Eagles return to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they visit the University of Illinois Springfield.
