EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball plays its only contest of the week Thursday when the Screaming Eagles visit Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a 5 p.m. tilt.
Thursday’s matchup can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
Southern Indiana (9-5, 4-0) enters the game at SIUE with five consecutive wins, including four straight to begin the Ohio Valley Conference season to sit atop the league standings. USI is enjoying its longest winning streak since joining the Division I level. The Screaming Eagles have won six of their last seven games going back to the end of the non-conference schedule.
USI is coming off two home wins last week, claiming a 78-57 victory over Tennessee State University last Thursday and a thrilling 69-66 win over Tennessee Tech University last Saturday. Saturday’s win against Tennessee Tech was highlighted by USI’s second-half defense, outscoring the Golden Eagles 37-25 after halftime. Plus, USI set season-high marks with 23 makes and 31 attempts at the foul line.
On Saturday, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) tallied 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in her third double-double of the season, while senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) posted her second double-double this season with 12 points and 10 boards. Additionally, senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) also had a dozen points, and sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) had an all-around performance with a season-high 12 points, five rebounds, and a career-best seven assists in her first start this season. Saunders also hit a clutch three-pointer with 30 seconds left to give USI a two-possession lead.
Following last week’s two games, Shafford was named OVC co-Player of the Week on Tuesday. Shafford averaged a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds last week. The junior also shot efficiently over 46 percent overall and 50 percent from long range. Before her double-double against Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Shafford netted a career-high 26 points with six made three-pointers last Thursday against Tennessee State. Shafford has pushed her streak of scoring 10 or more points to 12 games, averaging 16.5 points during the streak.
Raley also continued her recent run in both contests last week. Raley has scored 10-plus in the last five outings and six of the last seven. Raley is tallying 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in the last five games, shooting above 56 percent from the floor.
This season, Shafford paces USI at 15.2 points per game with Raley second at 11.6 points. Both are shooting above 45 percent overall, contributing to the Screaming Eagles’ second-best field goal percentage in the OVC of 43 percent. USI averages 69.4 points and 39 rebounds per game.
SIUE (3-13, 0-3) is in search of its first OVC win after dropping the first three contests. Last week, the Cougars fell at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, 79-59. SIUE will also face Morehead State University this week on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Cougars average 72.1 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting and are led in scoring by graduate guard KK Rodriguez with 22 points per contest. Rodriguez also tops the squad in rebounding, assists, and steals per outing.
The former Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals are meeting for the 53rd time on Thursday. USI has a two-game advantage in the series history, 27-25. Last season, the two squads split home wins. Southern Indiana won 79-59 at home in early January last year before SIUE took a 78-69 decision two weeks later. The all-time series dates to the 1981-82 season.
Following this week’s road contest at SIUE, USI comes home to begin a three-game homestand. The Eagles will host Little Rock January 18 and Morehead State January 20 at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Tickets for the Little Rock and Morehead State games are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the USI Ticket Office online. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.
