EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Five players scored in double-figures Sunday as the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team defeated Harris-Stowe State University, 79-59, at the Physical Center.
The victory boasts the Screaming Eagles' (7-1) winning streak to seven straight, their longest since they won 10 straight in 2001-02. It also gives USI its best start since the 2000-01 season when it started the season 9-0.
USI, which shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half, got off to a fast start as they opened the game with a 22-6 spurt in the first seven minutes of regulation. The Eagles, who held the Hornets to a 17.9 percent shooting performance in the opening frame, extended their lead to as many as 22 before going into the break with a 38-20 halftime advantage.
Junior forward
Jasmine Baines (Jeffersonville, Indiana) scored 14 of her game-high 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting to lead the Eagles in the first half. Baines finished the contest with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with three steals.
HSSU (2-10), however, used some aggressive defensive play in the second half as it chipped away at the Eagles' advantage. The Hornets, behind a great effort by junior guard Chanel Ross, cut the Eagles' lead to 11 points midway through the closing period. Ross finished with 16 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and nine steals.
With USI leading 54-43 and the momentum slowly shifting into HSSU's favor, senior guard
Katie Thiesenhusen (Muskego, Wisconsin) scored six points in an 8-2 run that put the Eagles up by 17 with less than seven minutes to go.
Thiesenhusen finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Junior guard
Missy Glaser (Evansville, Indiana) added 11 points and four rebounds, while senior forward/center
Sarah Buldtman (Metropolis, Illinois) and senior forward
Sabrina Brandon (Danville, Illinois) each chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Laniya Stevens led the Hornets with 20 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Kanisha Pettis added 12 points.
USI returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Detroit, Michigan, to take on Great Lakes Region foe Wayne State University at 4:30 p.m. (CST). The Eagles play Ferris State University December 29 and Wayne State, for the second time in less than two weeks, December 30 in the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Edwardsville, Illinois.
