EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball opened its 2024-25 season Monday evening at Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, with a 100-49 victory against Brescia University (Ky.).
Brescia grabbed a 5-3 lead nearly two minutes into the contest, but USI settled into the season-opening game with a 9-0 run over three minutes in the middle of the opening quarter. With 3:27 left in the first quarter, senior guard Vanessa Shafford canned her second three to give USI a 17-12 lead and surpass 1,000 career points. The Screaming Eagles extended their lead to 10, 24-14, by the end of the first after another offensive run that featured back-to-back buckets from senior forward Lauren Carie and sophomore guard Sophia Loden.
The Bearcats closed the gap to four on a pair of triples to start the second quarter. Around the seven-minute mark of the period, junior guard Ali Saunders turned two steals into two baskets to increase Southern Indiana’s lead back to nine, 31-22. Three consecutive makes from beyond the arc between Shafford and graduate forward Meredith Raley inflated the Eagles’ lead to 16, 42-26. USI finished the first half on another run and went into halftime with a 53-32 advantage after scoring 29 points in the second period.
Sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan made her USI debut and had a solid stretch of play early in the third quarter. Buchanan reached double digits nearly three minutes into the third, helping Southern Indiana build its lead to 30, 62-32. Later in the third, Raley heated up from the floor while the Eagles’ defense turned it up on the other end of the floor. The Screaming Eagles led 77-38 through three quarters after holding Brescia to six points in the third frame.
The Screaming Eagles continued their offensive burst in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, including freshman guard Lexi Sepulveda‘s second three of the evening. Southern Indiana continued its high intensity on the defensive end, which created offensive opportunities. Saunders knocked down a couple of three-pointers and Loden got to the basket on multiple occasions to put the final marks on the season-opening 51-point victory.
Southern Indiana finished the game shooting over 48 percent (36-74) from the floor with 10 made threes on 21 attempts from long range. USI also shot at a 78 percent clip (18-23) from the free-throw line. The Eagles outrebounded the Bearcats, 46-27, and had 18 offensive boards. USI’s defense had 22 steals and forced 33 turnovers.
Individually, Saunders paced USI with 18 points in addition to six assists and six steals. Shafford and Raley each contributed 17 points, while Buchanan and Loden each chipped in 13 points.
In addition to Shafford’s milestone of 1,000 career points on Monday, Raley surpassed 500 career rebounds. The duo of Shafford and Raley joined 10 other Screaming Eagles in USI Women’s Basketball history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds while in a USI uniform.
For Brescia, the Bearcats were 15-45 for 33 percent from the field. Brescia had five treys and was 14-19 for over 73 percent at the foul line. The Bearcats had two players score 10-plus points in the game.
Next, the Screaming Eagles make their first road trip this season on Friday when USI travels to the University of Louisville to face the 17th-ranked Cardinals. Gametime is at 6 p.m. CT from the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Broadcast coverage is on ACC Network Extra and The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
