Evansville, IN—Behind some solid second half performances, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team rallied from eight down to pull out an 86-76 victory over Lewis University Friday evening at the Physical Activities Center.

USI (9-2, 3-2 GLVC) jumped out to a 13-point lead midway through the first period, but some hot first-half shooting helped the Flyers rebound and take a 45-40 halftime lead into the locker room. Lewis shot 58.8 percent in the first stanza, before cooling off to a modest 44.8 percent in the second period.

After falling behind by eight early in the second half, the Screaming Eagles came storming back behind some solid play by sophomore forward Ashley Green (Otterbein, Indiana). Green recorded a pair of steals and a couple of lay-ups within a 15-second span to bring the Eagles into a 50-50 tie with just over 16 minutes to play.

Despite Green's efforts, the Eagles once again found themselves in a hole, this time facing a 64-60 deficit. However, USI road the efforts of Green and junior forward/center Andrea Engleking (Charlottesville, Indiana) to pull off a 12-2 run that gave it a 72-66 lead with less than five minutes left in the contest.

Engleking hit a lay-up to get USI within a point at 64-63 and added another bucket to give the Eagles a 68-66 lead. USI took its first lead of the second stanza when junior guard Jamie Truitt (Owensboro, Kentucky) cashed in from long range, giving the Eagles a 66-64 advantage.

Green finished USI's spurt with a bucket and a pair of free throws that put the Eagles up by six.

With the game still in doubt, Truitt hit her second three-pointer of the game to give the Eagles a commanding 77-70 lead with 2:38 to play. Truitt, along with freshman point guard Lauren Parrish (Shepherdsville, Kentucky), helped put the game on ice as they combined to knock down 9-of-12 free throws in the final two minutes of the contest.

For the game, Engleking led six USI players in double-figure scoring as she tallied a game-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds. Parrish finished with 13 points and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Other players in double-figure scoring for the Eagles included senior forwards Shannon Wells (Merrillville, Indiana) and Shajuan Lindsey (Midlothian, Illinois). Wells finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while Lindsey scored 11 points, nine of which came in the first stanza, and a team-high six assists.

Truitt finished the game with 11 points, nine of which came in the second period, and a game-high eight rebounds, while Green scored eight of her 10 points in the second half while recording a team-high three steals.

Lewis (6-6, 3-2 GLVC) was led by a pair of 17-point performance from senior guard Tracy Buchholz and sophomore guard Shante Glenn. Glenn finished with a game-high 10 assists.

The Eagles, winners of their last four games, will wrap up their three-game homestand this Sunday, January 4, when they host the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a 1 p.m. tip-off at the PAC.