Southern Indiana (7-2): 91
Hillsdale (0-4): 83
Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Five University of Southern Indiana women's basketball players recorded at least 12 points as the Screaming Eagles rolled to a 91-83 victory over Hillsdale College Sunday afternoon at the Bellarmine University Thanksgiving Classic.
USI (7-2), which has won six straight games, trailed early in the contest, but an 11-0 run that lasted a little more than two minutes staked the Screaming Eagles to a 16-11 advantage with 12:29 to play in the opening period.
After seeing Hillsdale (0-4) storm back to take a brief 19-18 lead, the Eagles once again took control of the contest as they used an 11-3 run to forge a seven-point cushion before using a 6-0 spurt to end half and take a commanding 41-30 lead into the intermission.
The Eagles extended their lead to 13 just over a minute into the second half when junior guard Ellen Young hit a jumper, giving her the first two of her 14 second-half points—she finished with 15 in the contest.
Hillsdale, though, closed the gap as it used an 11-2 run to chisel the Eagles' advantage to four points with 16:27 to play in the game. Junior guard Lauren Meneghetti, who came off the bench to finish with 12 points, four assists, and five rebounds, ended the Charger's run by draining a three-pointer to give USI a 48-41 lead.
The shot propelled USI on a 9-0 run that saw the Eagles extend their advantage back to 13 with just under 14 minutes remaining on the clock. USI increased its lead to as many as 15 (80-65) with 3:32 to play in the game before settling on the eight-point victory.
“I really liked our aggressiveness,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said in his post-game interview with WSWI's Matt Staller. “This is a good regional victory against a good team that was ranked in the preseason poll.”
The aggressiveness Stein spoke of was the Eagles' ability to get to the free throw line, where they were 29-of-40 (.725). Senior guard/forward Abby Williams, who led USI with a career-high tying 18 points, went to the charity stripe 14 times, though she made just 50 percent of her opportunities. Still, Williams' play helped energize her teammates.
“Abby has really found her stride with us,” Stein said. “She's a leader at both ends of the court. Her effort this weekend is a reflection of what we've seen the last couple weeks.”
Williams was named to the “All-Classic” team after averaging 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during the two-game stretch. Junior guard Amie Newhart, who finished with 14 points and six assists, joined Williams on the “All-Classic” team after averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 assists during the weekend.
Stein also was pleased with the way his bench performed Sunday. Sophomore guard Cootie Leeberg scored a career-high 13 points to lead USI's reserves, while sophomore forward/center Ashton Mertens had seven points and a game-high nine rebounds.
USI opens GLVC play Thursday when it hosts Bellarmine in a men's and women's doubleheader. Tip-off for the women's game is slated for 5:15 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center.
