Southern Indiana (2-2): 69
at Wayne State (0-1): 68
Box Score
DETROIT, Mich.—Junior guard Amie Newhart made four lead-changing free throws and picked up a game-clinching steal in the final minute of regulation to lift the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team to a thrilling 69-68 victory over Wayne State University Sunday afternoon.
With the score tied at 65-65 with just over a minute to go in the contest, Newhart sunk the first of two straight free throws to give the Screaming Eagles a slight 67-65 lead.
Wayne State (0-1), which trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, got a bucket from senior guard Brooke Bowers to tie the contest on its next possession. Bowers, who was fouled by USI junior guard Ellen Young on the game-tying shot, sunk the ensuing free throw to give the Warriors a one-point advantage with 37 seconds to play.
Once again, Newhart answered for the Eagles with an aggressive drive to the basket that drew a foul from Wayne State freshman forward Deanna Crumpton. Newhart sunk both free throws to give USI a 69-68 advantage.
Wayne State sophomore guard Kiara Smith missed a layup with 11 seconds to play; then junior guard Chelsea Kouri had an inbounds pass stolen away by Newhart to seal the victory for USI.
Earlier in the contest, it looked as if the Eagles would run away with the victory. USI, which trailed 10-2 before using a 21-6 run to build a seven-point advantage, went into the locker room with a 35-30 halftime advantage.
The Eagles (2-2), who saw Wayne State rally to tie the contest at 23-23, used a 7-0 run later in the opening period to forge the five-point cushion at the break.
USI extended its advantage to 40-30 in the first 42 seconds of the second half as sophomore guard Rinesha Soaper and senior forward Anaris Sickles combined for five straight points to give the Eagles their first double-digit lead.
After extending the lead to as many as 12 on two occasions, the Eagles saw Wayne State go on a 17-2 run to turn a 58-46 deficit into a 63-60 lead with 4:32 to play in the game.
Soaper, however, drained a three-pointer 10 seconds later to tie the contest at 63-63. The two teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes before USI junior guard Lauren Meneghetti broke the drought with a baseline layup to give the Eagles a 65-63 lead with 1:34 to play in the game.
Wayne State answered with a jumper by Bowers to pull the teams into a 65-65 stalemate before Newhart once again broke the tie with her two free throws with a minute to play.
Meneghetti and Newhart each finished with 11 points, while Young led the Eagles with 13 points. Sickles and Soaper added nine and seven points, respectively, while senior guard/forward Abby Williams and sophomore forward/center Ashton Mertens finished with nine and seven points, respectively.
“It's a great road win,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said in his post-game show with WSWI's Shawn Paxton. “It means a lot to get a win on the road against a regional opponent.”
USI opens its home schedule Wednesday when it hosts Urbana University at the Physical Activities Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
