WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball concluded its two-game road swing Sunday afternoon with a 95-57 loss at Purdue University.
Sunday’s contest was USI’s second straight game on the road against a Power-5 conference opponent and the second of three against a P-5 school during the non-conference slate.
Southern Indiana got off to a good start in the opening quarter, as senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) scored the game’s first basket. The Screaming Eagles received balanced scoring early on, as all five starters found the hoop before the first media timeout. In the meantime, Purdue shot the ball well from deep, hitting three triples before the timeout and building a 20-14 lead. In the first six minutes, both teams shot over 60 percent. Purdue stayed hot and went on to hold USI scoreless for the remainder of the opening quarter, taking a 35-14 advantage into the second period.
Â
The Eagles broke the scoring drought at the 8:33 mark of the second quarter when junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) drove to the basket to make it a 37-16 score. In the middle of the second, Raley tallied eight straight points for USI in the span of two and a half minutes, putting the senior forward into double figures. Southern Indiana finished the first half strong. Trailing 55-26 with 3:41 left until halftime, USI ended the first half on an 8-0 run. Freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) provided an energy boost off the bench during the run, pushing the ball for a layup and getting a big block on the defensive end. The Boilermakers led 55-34 at the intermission.
Â
A tough scoring quarter in the third for the Eagles led to a 79-41 Purdue lead going into the fourth period. In the fourth, USI had a nice spurt on the offensive end in the middle of the frame, as Shafford connected for a couple of baskets and freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) scored after establishing an inside position underneath the hoop. Southern Indiana went on to record a pair of baskets under the three-minute mark to make the score 95-57 before both teams went scoreless for the last two minutes to end the game.
Â
USI was 21-for-60 for 35 percent shooting and went for 79 percent (11-14) at the foul line. While the Eagles grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to Purdue’s nine, the Boilermakers won the overall rebounding battle, 39-29. Individually, Shafford led Southern Indiana with 14 points while Raley posted 13 points.
Â
Purdue shot 58 percent (34-59) from the floor, making nine threes, and was 78 percent (18-23) at the free-throw line. The Boilermakers had four players register double-digit scoring.
Â
With Sunday’s loss, USI moved to 3-2 on the season while Purdue improved a .500 mark of 3-3.
Â
Southern Indiana will return to Screaming Eagles Arena Friday for a 7 p.m. matchup against Murray State University. Friday’s game will be available on ESPN+.
