The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team held on to defeat the University of Nebraska-Omaha, 80-77, in the first round of the Division II Tip-Off Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Florida. USI opens the season with a 1-0 overall record, while UNO falls to 0-1.

USI jumped out early and went into halftime with a 14-point lead, 45-31. UNO fought back in the second half and took a 70-65 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the game.

Senior guard Jasmine Moore (Chicago, Illinois), who led all scorers with 26 points, brought the Eagles back to life, giving them back the lead at 71-70 with four minutes to play and the lead for good at 80-77 on a three-point play with one minute left in the contest.

"Jazz (Moore) made some aggressive plays to get us back into the lead," said USI Head Coach Rick Stein on his post-game radio show. "She took the open shot when she had it and did not force anything the whole game. I'm very confident with the ball in her hands."

The Eagles' defensive also was working today, forcing UNO into 34 turnovers. "I thought we controlled the first half because of our enthusiasm and intensity on the court," said Stein. "We lost that a little in the second half and that is when they came back."

Overall Stein was pleased with USI's performance, bouncing back from the 94-56 exhibition loss to Indiana State University. "(USI) has improved in a week's time," said Stein. "Now, I want to put a full 40 minutes together."

In addition to Moore's 26 points, USI had junior forward/center Africa Sherrod (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) scoring 15 points in her Eagles debut, while senior center Michelle Irwin (Louisville, Kentucky) had 14 points and sophomore forward Jessica Stuckman (Quincy, Illinois) added 11 points more.

The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, November 10, at 5 p.m. (CT) when they face the winner of the Franklin Pierce College/University of Minnesota-Duluth contest.