EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball received a standout performance on Saturday from sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana), who picked up her first career double-double, but the visiting Bowling Green State University Falcons came away with a 100-74 win against the Screaming Eagles.
Stafford set new career highs with 21 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double game to lead Southern Indiana. It was the first 20-10 game for a USI player since Imani Guy had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 74-47 home win over the University of Illinois Springfield on February 16, 2019. Shafford was also a perfect 5-5 from distance Saturday, tying a USI single-game record for the best three-point percentage in a minimum of five attempts. The previous mark was set by Taylor Stephenson, who also went 5-5 against Georgia Southwestern on November 10, 2012.
Shafford got off to a solid start for USI, scoring the team’s first five points. Bowling Green State also started well, sharing the basketball, and getting multiple players in the scoring column early. The Falcons led 11-9 through the midway point of the first quarter. With 1:15 left in the first, senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) scored on an entry pass inside to pull USI within two, 14-12. Trips to the charity stripe late in the quarter gave the Falcons a 17-12 lead after one.
Early in the second period, BGSU built a 19-14 lead, but USI’s graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) stepped up and answered with a deep three-pointer to make the score 19-17. While fouls started to stack up for USI later in the second, the Screaming Eagles persevered through the foul calls, as Shafford drained her second triple of the game to bring USI back within five, 25-20, and 6:27 left in the second. A little over a minute later, Shafford connected on another three to make it 27-23 BGSU. Then Bowling Green State found its touch from beyond the arc, hitting six of their seven first-half threes inside the last five minutes of the second quarter. The hot shooting from the Falcons extended their lead to 51-32 at the intermission.
For USI in the first half, Shafford led the team with 11 points, nailing all three attempts from outside the perimeter. Haithcock provided a strong presence off the bench in the first half, scoring 10 points with four rebounds.
Out of the halftime locker room, Bowling Green State continued to shoot well from downtown, especially senior guard Morgan Sharps. Coming into the game with five makes out of 24 attempts from three, Sharps made three triples in the first half and made three more right away in the early minutes of the third quarter. Her third triple of the third period gave BGSU a 64-40 lead at the 6:51 mark. A minute later, Shafford cashed in on her fourth three of the game for USI and surpassed her previous career high of 16. Before the end of the third frame, Haithcock made a pair of layups, and senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) tallied seven points in the third period. The Falcons led 75-55 heading into the fourth quarter.
Within the first minute of the fourth, Shafford put the basketball through the bottom of the net for the fifth time from outside the arc. Additionally, Haithcock scored three more buckets of her own, giving her 21 points with 6:39 left in the fourth. Meanwhile, Bowling Green State continued to sustain its sizable lead, 90-67, halfway through the fourth quarter. Screaming Eagles’ sophomore guard Takiya Howard (Chicago, Illinois) recorded five points in the back half of the fourth before the final horn sounded.
Shafford and Haithcock led USI with 21 points each. Overall, Shafford hit 8-12 from the floor and added five assists. Haithcock was 9-17 from the field and pulled down five rebounds. Junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) finished in double figures with 10 points in her first start of the season. Collectively, USI was 28-62 for 45.2 percent from the field, 6-18 for 33 percent from three, and 12-17 for 70.6 percent from the line. USI outrebounded BGSU 40-39 and totaled 37 bench points.
For Bowling Green State, Sharps led the Falcons with 26 points, as seven of her nine total makes were from beyond the arc. BGSU had three others score in double digits. The Falcons shot 34-70 for 48.6 percent overall, 14-29 for 48.3 percent from three, and 18-29 for 62.1 percent from the stripe. Bowling Green State, projected third in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, was receiving votes and would be #26 in this last week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.
The Screaming Eagles will conclude their November home schedule next Wednesday before Thanksgiving for a 1 p.m., midday game against the Bethel University Pilots.
