Screaming Eagles edged by Panthers in final seconds
CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball squared off against Ohio Valley Conference-leading Eastern Illinois University on the road Saturday afternoon, but a scrappy battle that went down to the final seconds went in favor of Eastern Illinois at the final buzzer, 51-49.
Southern Indiana looked to hand Eastern Illinois its first blemish in OVC play during Saturday’s defensive, physical contest. With the result, USI moved to 15-6 overall and into a tie for third in the conference standings at 7-3. The Panthers improved to 13-6 on the season and 10-0 in the OVC, remaining atop the league table.
Following an up-tempo defensive start to the contest, USI scored the game’s first points after two minutes of action. The two defenses produced a set of scoreless droughts in the middle of the first. Sophomore forward Chloe Gannon provided a quick spark off the bench with two inside conversions to give Southern Indiana a 6-4 lead seven minutes into the game. With just over a minute remaining in the opening quarter, senior guard Vanessa Shafford swished in a straightaway triple for her 200th career three-pointer, which put the Screaming Eagles ahead 10-8 after the first 10 minutes.
The relentless pressure on both ends of the court did not disappear in the second quarter. In the middle of the period, the Panthers went on a 9-0 run to surge ahead, 20-12. At the four-minute mark, the Eagles pulled within four, 20-16, after junior guard Ali Saunders drained a mid-range jumper. Eastern Illinois answered with four points before USI and graduate forward Madi Webb scored inside the final minute for the last basket of the first half. Eastern Illinois led 24-18 at halftime.
Eastern Illinois quickly scored twice out of halftime to go up by 10, but then the Screaming Eagles grabbed momentum. Shafford instilled her presence by scoring 10 straight points in the first three minutes of the second half for Southern Indiana, bringing the Eagles within two, 30-28. Seconds later, a trey from sophomore guard Sophia Loden flipped USI back in front, 31-30. The Panthers went back ahead by six later in the third, but Saunders delivered with a bucket to make the score 42-38 in favor of EIU through three quarters.
The fourth frame began with three and a half minutes of scoreless basketball. Then the two teams exchanged baskets across five possessions as Eastern Illinois built back up a six-point lead, 48-42, at the 5:30 mark. A Shafford layup and makes at the free-throw line over the next four minutes helped USI climb back to tie and then take the lead, 49-48, with just over 30 seconds left on the clock. However, Eastern Illinois drew a three-point play and capitalized at the stripe to retake the lead by two, 51-49. USI’s last-second effort to answer would not fall.
Southern Indiana was just under 33 percent (18-55) shooting and 22 percent (4-18) from beyond the arc. USI went 9-13 for just over 69 percent at the foul line. The Eagles outrebounded the Panthers 39-34. Shafford paced USI with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Eastern Illinois shot the ball for 37 percent (20-54) overall but was limited to 15 percent (2-13) from long range. The Panthers were 9-11 for above 81 percent at the free-throw stripe. Senior forward Macy McGlone paced Eastern Illinois with 22 points and 16 boards for her 11th double-double this season.
The Screaming Eagles’ three-game road trip wraps up Tuesday at Morehead State University, as USI will play its third road game in six days. Tuesday’s tilt tips off at 4 p.m. CT from Morehead, Kentucky. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.
