University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball suffered a 93-64 Great Lakes Valley Conference home loss to No. 4 Drury University Saturday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena.
The Screaming Eagles (11-5, 11-5 GLVC) rallied from a nine-point first-quarter deficit to match the Panthers, 24-24, early in the second period, but Drury used a 19-4 run that lasted nearly six minutes to surge out to a commanding 43-28 advantage late in the opening half.
After going into the break facing a 44-31 halftime deficit, USI was able to keep the Panthers within striking range throughout much of the third period. Following a basket by senior guard Ashley Hunter (Flossmoor, Illinois), the Eagles trailed by just 12 (56-44) with less than four minutes to play in the third frame.
The Panthers (13-1, 13-1 GLVC), however, closed the third quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 66-48 lead into the final 10 minutes of the contest. Drury continued its momentum into the final period as it used a 15-2 run to increase its lead to 82-50 with just under five minutes left in the contest.
Hunter led the Eagles with a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) added nine points, three assists and three steals. Sophomore guard Soffia Rieckers (Evansville, Indiana) contributed seven points, including five in the opening period.
Junior guard Paige Robinson paced the Panthers with 24 points, while senior forwards Emily Parker and Azia Lynch added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Lynch finished with a game-high eight rebounds for the Panthers, who went 19-of-32 (.594) from the field in the second half and 34-of-64 (.531) for the game. Drury also out-rebounded the Eagles, 40-29, and had a 42-18 scoring advantage inside the paint.
USI shot 57.1 percent (8-14) from the field in the opening period, but a 2-of-10 (.200) shooting performance in the second quarter helped contribute to its halftime deficit. It went just 4-of-16 (.250) from the field and 1-of-9 (.111) from three-point range in the final 14 minutes of the contest.
The Eagles embark on another three-game road trip, beginning Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they travel to Rolla, Missouri, to take on Missouri University of Science & Technology. USI also visits Maryville University next Saturday before finishing its regular-season road schedule February 22 at McKendree University.
