ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team tipped-off the 2005-06 campaign on a down note, losing to Columbus State University, 78-62, Friday evening in the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic at the Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. USI (0-1) will play the loser of the #4 University of North Dakota/#6 Merrimack College game at 2:30 p.m. (CST).

The Screaming Eagles trailed 36-33 at halftime after CSU's junior guard Marquita Green capped off a 14-point first half with a three-point field goal with one second left in the half to give the Cougars the lead at the intermission. USI was led in the first period by the 10-point performance of senior forward Sabrina Brandon (Danville, Illinois).

In the second half, the Eagles were never able to get ahead of the Cougars. Columbus State increased the lead to 10 points, 51-41, with 12:05 to play and bumped the margin to 14 points, 64-50, with 5:12 to play.

USI cut the Columbus State lead to single digits one last time, 66-58, with 2:30 left on a three-point field goal by senior forward Ashley Green (Otterbein, Indiana). The Cougars responded with a 12-4 run for the 78-62 final and the largest margin of the game.

The Eagles, who shot 56.5 percent from the field in the first half (13-23), was held to 28.6 percent from outside in the second half (8-28).

Brandon would finish the game as the USI leader in the scoring column with 13 points. She was followed by sophomore forward Jasmine Baines (Jeffersonville, Indiana), who had 12 points and junior guard Katie Thiesenhusen (Muskego, Wisconsin), who had 11 points and a team-best seven rebounds.