USI earns road split in Kentucky after win at Murray State Tuesday

MURRAY, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball picked up its first road win of the season Tuesday afternoon, capturing an 82-75 win at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.

The win Tuesday gave USI a road split in its two-game swing through Kentucky in the last five days and improved Southern Indiana’s record to 2-1 this season. Murray State moved to 1-1 with the loss.

Murray State grabbed a 4-0 lead before Southern Indiana answered with seven straight points. USI’s post-play contributed early with sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan scoring two of USI’s first three baskets. The Racers tightened the contest in the middle of the opening quarter, but the Screaming Eagles hit a pair of three-pointers in the last two minutes to help push USI ahead 22-14 at the end of the first period.

A minute and a half into the second period, Murray State pulled back to within one possession, 24-22, thanks to two made threes. Southern Indiana took back a two-possession lead in the middle of the second off two triples from junior guard Ali Saunders and sophomore guard Sophia Loden. Once again, the Racers responded. However, sophomore guard Triniti Ralston connected on a couple of shots from the field and drained a trifecta of free throws within the last four minutes of the first half to help give USI a 41-37 advantage going into halftime.

Southern Indiana extended its lead to six, 45-39, by the seven-minute mark of the third quarter following some hard-fought defensive rebounds and steals. After some scrappy back-and-forth play, the Eagles went on an 11-0 run over four minutes in the middle of the third frame. Graduate forward Madi Webb returned to the court Tuesday for USI and scored five of the 11 points during the big run, including a three-point play. The Screaming Eagles led by 16, 56-40, by the end of the run. The Racers had a little spurt late in the third, but Webb reclaimed the momentum for Southern Indiana with a buzzer-beating, banked-in trey to conclude the period. USI was up 59-44 heading to the fourth quarter after outscoring the Racers 18-7 in the third.

The Screaming Eagles kept its double-digit advantage in the early portion of the fourth stanza. USI reached its largest lead of the contest, 67-48, at the 6:20 mark when Saunders cashed in a three-point play.  Southern Indiana’s defensive energy and active hands creating deflections continued to create problems for Murray State. Buchanan scored on back-to-back possessions for USI near the halfway point of the fourth, including an open-court layup after a made basket by the Racers. With time winding down, Murray State had to hurry and take some chances. The Racers hit a couple of threes inside the last two minutes to help bring the deficit down to single digits, but the Eagles converted their free throws down the stretch to lock up the road win.

Southern Indiana shot for 41 percent (28-69) in the game and 39 percent (7-18) from beyond the arc. At the foul line, USI was 19-26 for 73 percent. USI’s defense forced Murray State into 26 turnovers, 17 on steals, compared to only 11 for the Eagles. USI tallied 29 points off turnovers and 19 fast-break points.

Six Screaming Eagles scored in double figures on Tuesday, including all five starters. The last time USI had six players score 10-plus was against the University of Indianapolis in January 2022. On Tuesday, Ralston posted a team-high 17 points and six assists while corralling seven rebounds. Senior guard Vanessa Shafford dropped 14 points. Saunders and Buchanan each recorded 12 points. Webb and graduate forward Meredith Raley registered 11 points. Raley nearly had a double-double with nine boards.

Murray State was 27-69 for 39 percent shooting overall and 11-39 for 28 percent from downtown. The Racers were 10-17 for 59 percent at the free-throw line. Murray State won the battle on the glass 53-38 with 17 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second-chance points. The Racers had three players in double digits with sophomore guard Haven Ford notching a game-high 22 points.

Southern Indiana returns to Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, for the start of three straight home games Friday at 6 p.m. against Indiana University Southeast. The game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.