EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball opened the 2025-26 season Monday night at Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, with an 85-45 victory against Franklin College.
USI Women’s Basketball (1-0) got stronger as Monday’s game went on, allowing its defense to turn into offense. The Screaming Eagles shot over 50 percent from the floor (32-63) while holding Franklin to just over 35 percent shooting (16-45). USI forced Franklin into 34 turnovers, which led to 46 points for the Eagles. USI also had 46 points in the paint compared to only 12 for Franklin. The Screaming Eagles received 29 bench points on Monday. USI was plus nine (38-29) on the boards.
Individually, junior forward Chloe Gannon tallied a game-high 17 points on 8-12 shooting with four rebounds in 31 minutes. Junior guard Shannon Blacher netted a career-high 15 points in her USI debut, going 5-8 from the floor with five rebounds and a career-best seven steals. Junior guard Sophia Loden totaled 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Junior forward Amiyah Buchanan had 10 points with four rebounds and a career-high four blocks.
Gannon scored the first basket of the 2025-26 season a minute into Monday’s contest. After Franklin grabbed a two-possession lead over the next couple of minutes, Gannon helped USI come back and take a 9-8 lead by the midway point of the opening quarter. The two sides battled for the remainder of the first quarter, with the score tied at 19 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
In the second period, a couple of threes by Loden and Blacher helped catapult the Screaming Eagles to a 10-0 run and a 29-19 lead. As the Grizzlies tried to respond, a three-point play by Gannon at the 3:16 mark of the second quarter pushed the Eagles’ advantage to a dozen, 36-24, as Gannon crossed into double figures for the game. Blacher also reached double digits later in the period to extend USI’s lead to 18, its largest lead of the first half. The Screaming Eagles went into halftime ahead 44-27.
While Franklin tried to cut into USI’s lead in the early going of the third quarter, the Screaming Eagles continued to get stronger as the game went along. Loden was aggressive, getting to the basket and converting at the foul line. Loden eclipsed double figures with a pair of free throws at the six-minute mark of the third, giving USI a 51-35 lead. A minute later, the Eagles’ margin swelled to 21 on a bucket from Buchanan. Freshman guard Lily Graves had a strong showing in the third with seven points, aiding USI to carry a 67-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Screaming Eagles continued to roll in the fourth quarter. Blacher drained another three, and Buchanan knocked down a jumper to reach 10 points in the game. Gannon scored another bucket to reach her game-high 17 points. Down the stretch of the fourth frame, USI’s lead reached as big as 42 points for the team’s largest lead of the night.
The Screaming Eagles will be back home Friday at 5 p.m. for the front end of a USI Basketball doubleheader at Liberty Arena. USI Women’s Basketball will host Murray State University. The game can also be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and ESPN WREF 97.7 FM.
USI Basketball Tailgate planned for Friday
To celebrate the beginning of the 2025-26 season, a First Friday Tailgate for the USI community and Screaming Eagles fans will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, November 7, in Parking Lot P (behind the Screaming Eagles Complex). After the tailgate, USI Women’s and Men’s Basketball will tip off against Murray State and Virginia Military Institute, respectively. Women’s game starts at 5 p.m. with the men’s game beginning at 7:30 p.m. Purchase your tickets online or at the gate!
Sponsored by the Center for Campus Life, Housing and Residence Life, and the USI Foundation, the tailgate will feature food, music by DJ Brash, free giveaways, and activities including inflatables, putt-putt, games, and more. There will also be a beer garden for fans 21 years and older (ID required to enter; cash and card accepted).
