EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team used a well-balanced attack to defeat Central State University (Ohio), 64-36, in a Great Lakes Region contest Saturday evening at the Physical Activities Center.

USI (4-2) had eight players score at least five points in the victory, which snapped a two-game skid.

Senior forward Jasmine Baines (Jeffersonville, Indiana) and sophomore guard VaNita Smart (Evansville, Indiana) led the Screaming Eagles with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Baines, who scored eight points in the final 20 minutes, notched her 1,000th career collegiate point in the second half.

Though the final outcome was lopsided, the first 15 minutes was no indication as the Eagles found themselves in a back-and-forth battle with the Lady Marauders. The two teams traded leads four times, with neither team able to build more than a four-point advantage.

Clinging to a two-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the opening half, USI used a pair of buckets by low-post players Brittany Neuman (Huntingburg, Indiana) and Courtney Perry (Crown Point, Indiana) as well as a bucket and a pair of free throws from Smart to build a 23-13 advantage.

The Eagles, who closed the half with a 13-4 run to take a 28-17 lead into the break, never looked back as they opened the second half with a 10-2 run to build a comfortable 19-point lead with 16 minutes to play in the game. Baines scored six of her 11 points in the 10-2 run as the Eagles took complete control of the contest.

USI, which held a 29-6 advantage in points off turnovers, extended its lead to as many as 32 late in the game before settling for the 28-point victory.

Another reason for the Eagles' success Saturday was their ability to control the glass. USI out-rebounded Central State, 49-39, and posted a 19-8 advantage in second-chance points.

Neuman and junior forward/center Ninette Evans (Memphis, Tennessee) led USI with seven rebounds each, while Perry, junior forward/center Jessica Grimaldo (Carmi, Illinois), and junior guard Brittany Darden (Guthrie, Kentucky) each collected six rebounds.

Central State (6-5) was led by freshman guard Ashley McGee, who finished with 11 points.

USI returns to action Wednesday when it takes on fellow Great Lakes Region member Tiffin University (Ohio) in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout in Nassau, Bahamas. The Eagles also play Mount Olive College (North Carolina) Thursday. Tip-off for both games is slated for 5 p.m. (CST) and can be listened to at WSPR FM 90.7 or via the internet at www.820theedge.com.

The Eagles return to the PAC December 28 to take on the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences' Saginaw Valley State University.