Meredith Raley records 17 points and 16 rebounds at Eastern Michigan
YPSILANTI, Mich. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball earned a strong 66-60 victory against Eastern Michigan University on Saturday, recording the first road win of the season for the Screaming Eagles. USI’s solid road win comes behind the stout performance of junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana), who posted her second career double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds Saturday afternoon.
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Raley’s 16 rebounds on Saturday marks the first time a Screaming Eagle has pulled down 15 or more rebounds in a game since Kacy Eschweiler grabbed 22 rebounds against Ferris State University on November 16, 2018. For Raley, her previous season-high was eight rebounds against Bethel University (Ind.) on November 23. Her other career double-double and previous career-high in rebounds came last season against Missouri University of Science and Technology on February 19 when Raley tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds. Raley also extended her streak on Saturday of scoring 10 or more in every game this season for USI.
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The Screaming Eagles also had senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) register 17 points and six rebounds Saturday, while sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) collected 16 points and seven boards on the afternoon.
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Southern Indiana’s win against Eastern Michigan was also USI’s first in three tries this season against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference. Heading into Saturday’s matchup, Eastern Michigan was fourth in the overall MAC standings with Northern Illinois University and Bowling Green State University, whom USI fell to earlier this season, sitting first and second in the overall MAC standings, respectively.
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Both teams started the game trying to settle in and find their rhythm in half-court sets, as the defenses were active early. The contest showed signs of being a game of runs and a tight game in the opening minutes. At the 5:38 mark of the first quarter, USI trailed Eastern Michigan 9-4, but the Screaming Eagles went on a 9-0 run to surge ahead. Haithcock had four points and Raley scored the other five points of the 9-0 run. The first period concluded with an 11-2 run for the Screaming Eagles, as USI took a 15-11 lead into the second quarter.
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USI increased its lead to six, 19-13, after a pair of free throws by Shafford with 8:10 left until halftime. Eastern Michigan battled back to cut USI’s lead down to two, 19-17, with 6:32 on the clock in the second. Shafford put USI back up five after a three-pointer seconds later, but then Eastern Michigan answered with five points within the next minute to even the game at 22 halfway in the second period. Southern Indiana was not fazed, as the Screaming Eagles went on another 9-0 run, including a basket by Raley and a triple from Shafford. USI went into halftime with a 31-24 lead after a late, second-quarter basket by Eastern Michigan.
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The third quarter started with a layup by Raley to push USI’s advantage back to nine. Then Eastern Michigan found a spark and made a charge, scoring eight straight points to climb within a point of USI, 33-22, and 6:57 remaining in the third. A jumper by Shafford quickly snapped EMU’s scoring run, but the battle was just starting. Eastern Michigan went ahead 36-35 at the 5:45 mark in the third, snagging its first lead since early in the first quarter. Just as it seemed the momentum was swinging in Eastern Michigan’s favor, USI’s senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) made a strong drive toward the basket to give the lead back to USI, 37-36. Both teams exchanged points over the next couple of minutes until Eastern Michigan tied the game again 43-43 with just over two minutes left in the third. The EMU Eagles made the last rally of the third quarter to carry a 47-45 lead into the fourth quarter. Eastern Michigan outscored USI 23-14 in the third period.
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A three-pointer by Eastern Michigan in the first minute of the fourth period increased EMU’s lead to five, 50-45. Once again, USI was not rattled, as Shafford converted an and-one play less than a minute later. After a few back-and-forth possessions, Southern Indiana capitalized on another three-point play. A basket and a foul by Haithcock put USI back in front 53-52 with 6:10 left in the fourth. Raley scored her 17th point of the game a minute later off a jump shot to give USI a 55-52 advantage. Southern Indiana’s lead improved to eight, 61-53, with under two minutes remaining. Eastern Michigan continued to fight, making the game a five-point contest with less than a minute left. Late free throws by Shafford and Robbe gave USI added insurance on the scoreboard to secure the road win. The Screaming Eagles responded to Eastern Michigan’s third quarter by outscoring EMU 21-13 in the final frame.
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Southern Indiana had a big day on the glass Saturday, outrebounding Eastern Michigan 50-39 and pulling down 13 offensive boards. USI was also aggressive inside with 36 points in the paint. On the day, USI was 24-for-63 and 38 percent from the floor, including three triples made from beyond the arc. The Screaming Eagles were very effective at the charity stripe, going 15-for-16 and 93 percent from the line Saturday.
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Individually, Raley’s 17 points came behind 7-for-17 shooting overall. Haithcock was 6-for-15 overall and 5-for-5 at the line toward her 17 points. Shafford scored her 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the floor and four makes at the free-throw line. Robbe scored six points with six rebounds.
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Eastern Michigan went 18-for-62 and 29 percent from the field, 5-for-19 and 26 percent from three, and 19-for-27 and 70 percent at the line. EMU also tallied 22 fast-break points in the game. Eastern Michigan was led by its leading scorer Saturday, as sophomore guard Lachelle Austin scored 19 points with 11 of the 19 coming at the free-throw line. Sophomore center Tayra Eke posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 caroms.
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USI held an opponent to only 18 makes from the floor and 10 or more points below their season scoring average for the second consecutive game on Saturday, as Southern Indiana’s defense previously did so on Wednesday at Butler.
Saturday’s win moves USI to 4-4 on the season, while Eastern Michigan is now 5-2 after a second consecutive loss.
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USI will step away from game action next week for finals and conclude the fall semester. The Screaming Eagles will then resume their road swing next weekend on back-to-back days against Wright State University next Saturday and at the University of Cincinnati on Sunday.
