Screaming Eagles drop road matchup at Lindenwood

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball finished the week with a road split after falling 75-56 at Lindenwood University on Saturday.

Southern Indiana (18-9, 10-6 OVC) remained in fifth place in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Lindenwood (18-7, 14-2 OVC) stayed at the top of the conference standings following its ninth consecutive win.

Southern Indiana jumped out onto the scoreboard in the first possession on a three-pointer from senior guard Vanessa Shafford, but Lindenwood answered with an 8-0 run over four minutes. A corner triple by sophomore guard Triniti Ralston snapped the drought just past the halfway point of the opening quarter. After Southern Indiana had some issues taking care of the ball in the first quarter, Lindenwood took a 16-10 lead into the second period.

Defenses continued to control the tone of the game, as each side had scoreless droughts of nearly three minutes between the first and second quarters. An inside make by graduate forward Madi Webb kept USI within six, 18-12, at the 8:04 mark. However, Southern Indiana went the next seven-plus minutes without a field goal, while Lindenwood went on a 13-0 run. The Eagles knocked down a pair of treys in back-to-back possessions in the last minute of the first half to get a little boost going into the halftime locker room, trailing 34-18.

Lindenwood started the second half with four three-pointers in the first three minutes to add to its lead. Meanwhile, Southern Indiana cashed in on a pair of buckets by Shafford and a triple from graduate forward Meredith Raley, as the Lions still led 48-27 at the 6:26 mark of the third. USI trimmed the deficit down to 16, 54-38, with under two minutes remaining in the third frame, but Lindenwood converted late free throws to carry a 57-38 advantage to the fourth quarter.

Southern Indiana made a push to start the fourth quarter. Sophomore guard Sophia Loden scored seven points in a minute to make it a 14-point game, 59-45, with eight minutes to go. However, USI went the next four and a half minutes without a field goal from the floor, while Lindenwood gradually increased its lead back up to over 20. Loden added to a strong fourth-quarter performance with a three-point play with two minutes on the clock, reaching double figures for the game. The Lions closed out the game with late baskets.

The Screaming Eagles’ tough offensive day led to a field-goal percentage of 31 percent (19-61). USI went for nearly 35 percent (9-26) from three-point range and 82 percent (9-11) at the foul line. Shafford paced USI with 16 points, connecting four times from outside the arc. Loden dropped 12 points after a 10-point fourth quarter. Ralston tallied nine points on three makes from the three-point line.

Lindenwood finished the game shooting above 46 percent (24-52) and 40.9 percent (9-22) from long distance. The Lions were also 75 percent (18-24) at the free-throw stripe. Lindenwood won the battle on the glass, 39-31. Sophomore guard Gracy Wernli led three Lions in double digits with 23 points, including five made triples.

The Screaming Eagles return home to Liberty Arena for their final regular-season homestand later this week, which starts Thursday at 5 p.m. when Southern Indiana hosts Eastern Illinois University. Thursday is USI’s Play4Kay Cancer Awareness pink game and the last 812 Night of the regular season. Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.