at Southern Indiana (11-2): 71
Ferris State (2-7): 52
Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Using first-half runs of 10-0 and 9-0, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team extended its winning streak to 10 games Wednesday night with a hard-fought 71-52 victory over Midwest Region foe Ferris State University at the Physical Activities Center.
Trailing by a point with 10 minutes to play in the opening period, the Screaming Eagles turned to their leading scorer, junior guard #Ellen Young#, to jump-start a 10-0 run that left the Eagles with a 27-18 advantage. Young drained a three-pointer to give the Eagles a 20-18 advantage with 9:14 to play in the contest; then hit a pair of jumpers in the following 40 seconds to stake USI to a six-point lead.
Junior guard #Amie Newhart#, who led all scorers with 16 points, ended the run and a near four-minute scoring drought with a three-pointer to extend the Eagles' advantage to nine points with less than five minutes to play in the opening period.
Newhart, who had three assists, scored five points in the 9-0 run that gave the Eagles a 15-point cushion with just over a minute to play in the first period. She hit a running jumper in the closing seconds of the first half to give USI a 40-24 advantage heading into the intermission.
USI (11-2), which matches its longest winning streak since the 2001-02 season, stormed out of the gates in the second half, scoring six straight points to increase its lead to 22 points.
The Eagles, who forced Ferris State (2-7) into 39 turnovers, led by as many as 26 points before settling for the 19-point victory.
In addition to Newhart's effort, Young finished the game with 13 points, while senior guard/forward #Abby Williams# added eight points. Senior forward #Anaris Sickles# and sophomore forward/center #Ashton Mertens# each chipped in seven points.
The Eagles will attempt to add to their winning streak Saturday at 1 p.m. when they resume conference play by hosting one of two GLVC newcomers, the University of Illinois-Springfield. USI defeated the Prairie Stars, 62-55, last season at the PAC.
