ASHLAND, Ohio—Two first-half runs by the opposition proved to be too much for University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball to overcome as the No. 25 Screaming Eagles suffered a 75-63 setback to No. 15/18 Walsh University in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Tournament Friday night.
Walsh (27-4), the No. 4 seed in the regional, used a 9-0 first-quarter run that lasted a little more than two minutes and an 8-0 second-quarter run that lasted less than 90 seconds to build a lead it would not relinquish.
The fifth-seeded Eagles (23-6) held a 9-8 lead with less than four minutes to play in the opening quarter when the Cavaliers strung together nine straight points to build an eight-point cushion.
USI kept within striking distance of the Cavaliers in the second period as it trailed 25-20 midway through the quarter. Walsh, the nation’s leader in field goal percentage, wrapped a pair of three-pointers around a layup as it made three straight shots to extend their lead to 33-20 with just under four minutes to play in the half.
The Eagles cut the deficit to eight later in the half before going into the intermission in a 41-31 hole. USI came out of the break with a quick basket, but Walsh responded with a 10-2 run that pushed its advantage to 16 points (51-35) with 16 minutes left to play in the game.
USI saw its deficit grow to as much as 19 late in the fourth quarter before finishing the game on a 9-2 run.
Senior forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) paced the Eagles with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds, while fifth-year senior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) added 15 points and five rebounds in her final game in a USI uniform. Junior forward Hannah Haithcock(Washington Courthouse, Ohio) rounded out the Eagles double-figure scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.
Walsh was led by the D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year in senior guard/forward Sha Carter, who had a 18 and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Morgan McMillen added 16 points.
In addition to DeHart, USI says good bye to fifth-year senior guard Ashley Hunter (Flossmoor, Illinois)—Brown is expected to return for her NCAA-granted COVID year in 2022-23. DeHart and Hunter helped lead the Eagles to the GLVC regular-season title and the top seed in the GLVC Tournament. They helped USI qualify for the NCAA II Tournament for the 12th time in program history.
DeHart finishes her career ranked first all-time at USI with 126 games played, second in three-point field goals attempted (433), eighth in made three-pointers (127) and 12th in scoring (1,189) and assists (230). She missed out on the USI record books for rebounds by just five after finishing her career with 361, while her 144 steals were two shy of cracking USI’s top 15 all-time.
The Eagles now turn their attention to the NCAA Division I ranks and the Ohio Valley Conference, where it will begin competing in starting in 2022-23.
