University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball could not contain No. 9 Lewis University as the No. 9 Flyers handed the visiting Screaming Eagles a 76-47 Great Lakes Valley Conference setback Thursday evening.
Lewis (17-1, 8-0 GLVC) used a trio of 7-0 runs in the opening half to build a 37-24 halftime advantage; then followed a 5-0 run with a pair of 6-0 spurts and a 10-0 surge in the second half to ensure the Eagles their fifth consecutive loss.
USI (10-6, 3-5 GLVC) shot just 27.1 percent (5-18) from the field in the first quarter as Lewis, which shot 61.5 percent (8-13) in the first 10 minutes, built a 22-11 lead heading into the second period.
The Eagles trimmed that deficit to six points with just under two minutes to play in the opening half, but the last of Lewis’s 7-0 runs sent USI into the locker room facing a 13-point halftime deficit.
USI scored the opening bucket of the second period, but 11 points was as close as the Eagles would get as Lewis’s lead ballooned to 22 points (57-35) at the end of three quarters and to as much as 32 points before the final whistle.
Junior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) had 14 points to lead the Eagles, while sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms(Marshall, Illinois) added nine points. Junior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) finished with a game-high eight rebounds.
Senior forward Mariyah Brawner-Henley and freshman forward Jessica Kelliher had 20 and 18 points, respectively, to lead the Flyers. Lewis shot 51.8 percent (29-56) from the field and held the Eagles to 36.5 percent (19-52) from the floor.
Lewis also made the Eagles pay for their offensive mistakes as the Flyers scored 31 points off USI’s 21 turnovers. USI had 13 of those turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
The Eagles conclude their three-game road trip Saturday when they travel to Somers, Wisconsin, to take on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The Rangers (10-6, 4-4 GLVC) suffered a 75-73 home setback to Bellarmine University Thursday evening.
