OWENSBORO, Ky.— The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team suffered its first setback of the season as it fell, 76-58, to Kentucky Wesleyan College at the Sportscenter Saturday evening.

USI (3-1, 0-1 GLVC) struggled from the start, missing on its first 11 shots from the field, as the Panthers built a 15-2 lead seven minutes into the contest. The Screaming Eagles finished the game with a shooting percentage of .383, including a 28.0 percent clip in the first half.

Despite the poor shooting performance in the first half, the Eagles held their ground and chipped away at the 13-point deficit, cutting Kentucky Wesleyan's advantage to 29-24 at the break.

The Eagles dominated the glass in the opening frame, creating a 22-17 advantage on the boards, to keep the game within reach.

After using a 6-1 run to open the second half and forge the contest's first tie since the opening minutes of the first period, the Eagles looked as if they could turn the corner and take control of the contest.

Kentucky Wesleyan (2-2, 1-0 GLVC), however, used a 9-0 run that lasted just over two minutes to kill the Eagles' momentum and build a 39-30 lead with 14:24 to play in the contest.

USI responded with a lay-up by senior forward Jasmine Baines (Jeffersonville, Indiana) to cut the lead to seven, but that was as close as the Eagles would get as the Panthers went on to the 18-point victory.

Baines led the Eagles with 17 points and three blocks. She also had five rebounds in the loss.

USI struggled on the boards in the second half, particularly after USI junior forward/center Brittany Neuman (Huntingburg, Indiana) picked up her fifth foul with just over 10 minutes to play in the game. The Eagles collected just seven rebounds in the final half, while Kentucky Wesleyan turned the situation into 15 second-chance points in the final 20 minutes.

USI also struggled with its ball control, especially in the first 20 minutes when it committed 18 turnovers. The Eagles finished the contest with 27 offensive miscues, while the Panthers turned those mistakes into 30 points.

The Eagles were aided by sophomore guard VaNita Smart (Evansville, Indiana), who finished with 14 points and a team-high three assists. Smart was 4-for-4 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Neuman led the Eagles with a game-high tying eight rebounds.

Senior forward LaTasha Henry led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, while junior center Whitney Waddell finished with 15 points and a game-high tying eight rebounds.

USI returns to action December 9 when it hosts Tusculum College at the Physical Activities Center. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.