EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returns to Screaming Eagles Arena this week to start a three-game homestand. The Screaming Eagles will tip off the homestand Thursday at 5 p.m. against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock before hosting Morehead State University Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both matchups can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com). Saturday’s game against Morehead State can also be heard on 97.7FM WREF.
Saturday’s USI-Morehead State game is Military Appreciation Day at Screaming Eagles Arena. Saturday’s military appreciation includes free tickets for veterans and their guests. Proof of service will be required, and tickets are limited to five (5) per veteran may be picked up the day of the game at Will Call. Military Appreciation Day tickets are courtesy of the USI Student Veteran Association. Additionally, arrive early for a special giveaway on Saturday.
Southern Indiana (10-5, 5-0) sits in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. However, both Little Rock (5-11, 4-1) and Morehead State (9-7, 4-1) are right behind USI with only one conference loss as they come to Screaming Eagles Arena this week.
USI enters the week with six consecutive wins, which is among the best top-25 winning streaks in the nation. Plus, USI has won five straight to begin the conference season, which is also a top-25 best in the nation.
The Screaming Eagles’ undefeated start in Ohio Valley Conference play and current overall winning streak is a team best since the 2021-22 season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and USI’s best since going to Division I. Entering Thursday, USI has won seven of its last eight games and is the only OVC team with five conference wins.
Last Thursday, Southern Indiana grabbed an 87-64 road win against longtime foe Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. After a competitive first quarter, USI’s transition offense with 16 fast-break points and high-percentage work inside, shooting 47 percent and pulling down a season-high 54 rebounds, allowed the Screaming Eagles to pull away from the Cougars.
In Thursday’s win, senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) had a solid return to her old stomping grounds at SIUE, where she spent her first three seasons. Webb posted her second career double-double and first of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, matching career highs in both categories. Senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) also recorded her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. The contest at SIUE was the second consecutive game in which two USI players registered a double-double in the same game. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) added 13 points, and sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) chipped in 11 points in a second straight start.
This season, Shafford leads USI in scoring at 15.1 points per game. The guard has scored 10 or more in 13 consecutive games. Raley is second in scoring with 11.7 points per outing, having scored 10-plus in six straight games, and Webb is third with an average of 10.2 points after last Thursday’s performance. All three players are shooting 47 percent or better.
Within the OVC, Shafford ranks fourth in scoring and third in field goal percentage at 47.6 percent. Once again, Shafford is active on the glass, as her 7.5 boards per game rank fourth in the OVC.
As a team, Southern Indiana is third in the conference with 70.5 points per game. USI also ranks third in field goal percentage (43.3), three-point percentage (34.0), and rebounding (40.0). The Screaming Eagles are first in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting.
Little Rock has won three straight games coming into Thursday’s matchup. The three victories have come against SIUE, Eastern Illinois University, and the University of Tennessee at Martin. On Saturday, Little Rock defeated UT Martin by a score of 57-48. The reigning OVC regular season champions are one of the toughest defensive teams under head coach Joe Foley, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the Trojans and 37th overall. The Trojans have held opponents to 64.6 points per game while only scoring 55.8 points. Sophomore forward Faith Lee leads Little Rock at 14.6 points per contest, and junior guard Jaiyah Harris-Smith tops the squad with nearly five rebounds and six assists per outing.
Morehead State is also riding high entering the week, as the Eagles carry a three-game winning streak into a matchup against UT Martin on Thursday night before heading to Evansville on Saturday. Morehead State’s most recent win came last Saturday at SIUE, 77-64. An improved Morehead State team is averaging 67.8 points on 40.7 percent shooting this season. Defensively, Morehead State is also solid, allowing 64.9 points and holding opponents to below 39 percent from the floor. Three players are averaging double figures for Morehead State, including team-leading senior guard Veronica Charles at 11.6 points. Charles also paces the squad with over four assists and two steals per game. Freshman guard Katie Novik and sophomore guard Hallie Rhodes are also tallying over 10 points per contest.
Little Rock took both first-time meetings against USI last season, and both by single digits. The Trojans won by three, 47-44, at Screaming Eagles Arena last January before a 58-50 victory in Little Rock last February. Shafford led USI with 23 points across the two games against the Trojans.
USI and Morehead State split their first-time meetings with home victories a year ago. Morehead State squeaked by USI with a three-point win, 64-61, last January in Morehead, Kentucky. Then USI got revenge with a 58-46 win at home last February. In the two games against Morehead State last season, Raley combined for 30 points while Shafford totaled 29 points. Shafford had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the home victory against Morehead State.
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.
