Southern Indiana (6-2): 76
Saint Francis (IN) (3-2): 61
Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—A 16-4 run midway through the second half allowed the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team to come away with a 76-61 victory over the University of Saint Francis (Indiana) Saturday in the first round of the Bellarmine University Thanksgiving Classic.
USI (6-2) trailed early in the contest, falling behind by as many as eight in the first half and three (34-31) at the intermission. The Screaming Eagles struggled from the floor in the opening period as they shot 32.0 percent from the floor, 38.5 percent for the game.
Still, the Eagles found a way to stay in the contest by creating opportunities from the charity stripe, where they were 33-of-37 (.892) for the game, 18-of-19 (.947) in the second half.
With USI trailing by six early in the second half, senior guard/forward Abby Williams hit a shot to jump-start an 11-2 run that would give the Eagles a 46-41 advantage with 13 minutes to play in the game.
Junior guard Lauren Meneghetti followed Williams with a three-pointer to draw the Eagles to within a point; then Williams followed sophomore forward/center Ashton Mertens's two-pointer with a layup to give USI a 42-41 advantage, its first lead since the 5:44 mark of the first half.
Despite falling behind by five, Saint Francis (3-2), ranked 16th in the NAIA II Top 25, stormed back with a 6-0 run to retake the lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the game.
After the two teams traded leads throughout the next three minutes, Meneghetti hit a layup to give USI a 52-51 edge with 8:16 to play in the game. The bucket started USI's 16-4 run that ended with USI holding a commanding 66-55 lead with 3:40 to play in the contest.
Junior guard Amie Newhart followed Meneghetti's bucket with a three-pointer to give USI a 55-51 edge, while fellow classmate Ellen Young capped the run off with a three-pointer to give the Eagles an 11-point cushion.
Newhart led all scorers with 16 points to go along with a game-high tying four assists and four steals. Williams added 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Young and Mertens each finished with 10 points. Meneghetti added nine points, all in the second half, and four steals, while Young finished with four assists and four steals.
“We had a slow, sluggish first half,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said in his post-game interview with WSWI's Shawn Paxton. “We really made a push defensively in the second half and were able to shut them down. I'm pleased with our effort and the way we came out in the second half to get the win.”
USI, which has won five straight games, concludes the Bellarmine Thanksgiving Classic Sunday when it takes on Midwest Region foe Hillsdale College. Tip-off is slated for noon (CST).
