University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball saw an 11-point fourth-quarter lead slip away as host University of Missouri-St. Louis handed the No. 15/20 Screaming Eagles a 65-59 Great Lakes Valley Conference setback Thursday night.
USI (20-4, 12-2 GLVC) sees its six-game winning streak come to an end with the loss, which also was its first setback away from the Physical Activities Center this season and its first on a Thursday night.
The Tritons (12-10, 7-7 GLVC) erased the 11-point deficit by outscoring the Eagles 21-4 in the final seven minutes. Missouri-St. Louis, which earned its first win over the Eagles in the last 14 meetings, held USI to just 2-of-12 shooting in the final seven minutes.
USI, which trailed 33-30 at the half and 37-33 early in the second half, used a 22-7 run to build a 55-44 advantage. The Eagles took advantage of Missouri-St. Louis offensive miscues throughout the rally as USI turned 13 Triton turnovers into 12 points.
The Tritons, however, did not commit a turnover in the final seven minutes as they took away a transition game that USI has thrived off of all year. Missouri-St. Louis went 4-of-8 from the field and 11-of-13 at the free throw line during its 21-4 run to end the game.
Junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) led the Eagles with 18 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Hannah Wascher(Rantoul, Illinois) added 14 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) chipped in 11 points and four assists, while senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) had 10 points and three assists.
The Eagles shot just 33.3 percent (11-33) in the second half after shooting 53.8 percent (14-26) in the first 20 minutes.
In a first half that featured 11 ties and five lead changes, the Eagles saw a 26-23 lead slip away in the final five minutes of the second quarter as the Tritons outscored USI 10-4 to take the three-point lead at the break.
Missouri-St. Louis made just eight field goals in the second half and shot 41.7 percent (20-48) for the game, but a 21-of-25 effort at the free throw line helped the Tritons overcome their deficiencies from the field. USI was a dismal 8-of-15 (.533) from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Robneisha Lee led the Tritons with 26 points and nine rebounds after entering the game averaging 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
USI, which saw its two-game lead in the GLVC East Division trimmed in half, returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it visits Maryville University in St. Louis. The Saints (11-10, 7-7 GLVC) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end with a 74-61 setback to No. 17 Bellarmine University Thursday evening in St. Louis.
