University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Stein earned his 300th career win Thursday evening as the Screaming Eagles defeated William Jewell College, 57-39, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at the Physical Activities Center.
The Screaming Eagles (11-2, 3-0 GLVC) used a stifling defensive effort in the opening period as they built a comfortable 30-13 halftime deficit.
USI held the Cardinals without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to open the game as it jumped out to a 12-1 advantage. The Eagles held William Jewell to just 14.3 percent (2-14) shooting in the first quarter as they ended the period with a 16-6 advantage.
The Eagles went on an 11-0 run in the second period to build a commanding 30-8 lead before the Cardinals could get anything going.
William Jewell (5-6, 2-2 GLVC) scored the final five minutes of the half; then put up the first three points of the third quarter to cut USI’s lead to 14 points. USI, however, answered as junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) scored five straight points to put momentum back into the Eagles’ corner.
USI essentially ended any chance of a William Jewell comeback later in the quarter as the Eagles scored nine straight points to build a 44-20 lead with just under three minutes to play in the frame.
Grooms, who had five of USI’s nine points in the run, led the Eagles with a game-high 15 points, four assists, and three steals, while senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) added 11 points and five rebounds. Marcum had seven of USI’s first nine points in the contest.
Both teams struggled to take care of the ball as each finished with 22 turnovers. USI, however, had a 44-34 edge on the glass, led by junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois), who finished with eight points and a team-best 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Maddie Nelson, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career, paced the Cardinals with 13 points and 10 rebounds. William Jewell shot just 23.5 percent (12-51) from the field and was 2-of-22 (.091) from three-point range.
USI returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts Rockhurst University at the PAC. The Hawks (8-3, 3-1 GLVC) suffered an 81-75 setback to No. 4 Bellarmine University Thursday evening in Louisville, Kentucky.
