EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) picked up her fifth double-double of the season on Thursday night, but the Screaming Eagles could not overcome an early deficit to Tennessee Tech University, as USI fell in the home finale, 78-57.
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Shafford led USI with 21 points and 11 rebounds to post her fifth double-double this season. Thursday also marked the fourth time this season that Shafford reached the 20-point plateau in a game.
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A slow start hurt USI early, as Tennessee Tech jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Golden Eagles’ lead climbed to 20-2 in the first quarter. The Screaming Eagles’ combination of senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) and sophomore guard Takiya Howard (Chicago, Illinois) combined for six USI points in the last couple of minutes of the first quarter. Tennessee Tech led 23-8 after the opening 10 minutes.
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In the early minutes of the second quarter, Tennessee Tech knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Meanwhile, USI senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) scored twice on a couple of layups in the middle minutes of the second. After her second layup, Haithcock found room at the basket for another score for USI, making the score 30-14 Tennessee Tech at the halfway point of the second period. A few minutes later, Southern Indiana got back on the scoreboard off the first tally of the game for Shafford. Late first-half scoring for both sides led to a 40-20 halftime score in favor of the Golden Eagles.
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At the start of the second half, Tennessee Tech continued its hot shooting, including from beyond the arc. In the middle of the third quarter, Shafford found a little more breathing room amid the Golden Eagles’ tight defense. The sophomore canned a three-pointer with 4:38 left in the third, as USI trailed 55-29. With two minutes left in the third, Haithcock went to work in the post for a basket. Inside the last 20 seconds of the third period, Shafford cashed in on a three-point play. The score was 63-37 Tennessee Tech heading to the fourth quarter.
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The Screaming Eagles started the fourth quarter with some rhythm. Shafford and fellow sophomore guard Aubrey Burgess (Linton, Indiana) each buried a triple in the first two minutes of the fourth. Seconds later, Robbe scored on a transition layup, trimming the score down to 65-45 with 7:15 remaining. Shafford drained another two triples during the fourth quarter, but Southern Indiana could not muster a big enough run at Tennessee Tech in the end.
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In her double-double effort, Shafford was 8-15 from the field and 4-7 from three. Haithcock also reached double figures, scoring 10 points on 3-8 shooting and 4-6 at the line with five rebounds in the contest. Southern Indiana went 21-50 for 42 percent overall and 10-17 for 58.8 percent at the stripe with five three-pointers. USI outrebounded Tennessee Tech 35-28.
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Tennessee Tech senior guard Maaliya Owens, who scored 29 points in the first meeting between the two schools in early February, recorded 28 points on Thursday night. Owens was 10-18 overall and 6-12 from three. Junior guard Peyton Carter registered 14 points for the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech shot 27-57 for 47.4 percent from the floor, 11-25 for 44 percent from beyond the arc, and 13-17 for 76.5 percent at the free-throw line.
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With Thursday’s results, USI’s record moved to 11-17 overall and 5-12 in the Ohio Valley Conference, which puts USI in ninth place in the standings. Tennessee Tech, who is locked in third place, improved its record to 18-9 this season and 12-5 in the OVC.
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The Screaming Eagles will conclude the 2022-23 regular season Saturday at Tennessee State University at 1 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
