Southern Indiana (2-0): 61
Minnesota State-Moorhead (0-1): 57
Box Score

PHOENIX, Ariz.—Senior guard Lauren Meneghetti scored four of her game-high 17 points in the final 20 seconds to lift the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team to a 61-57 come-from-behind victory over Minnesota State University-Moorhead Friday afternoon in the Grand Canyon University/Crowne Plaza Tip-Off Classic.

After getting a stop on the defensive end with 35 seconds to play in the contest, the Screaming Eagles had possession of the ball with a chance to win the contest. Senior guard Amie Newhart, who racked up 16 points, six assists, and a career-high six steals, drove into the lane with 20 seconds to play and dished the ball off to a wide-open Meneghetti.

Meneghetti converted the layup and was fouled, giving her an opportunity for a three-point play with 18.1 seconds on the clock. She sunk the free throw to give USI a 60-57 lead, then hit one of two free throws with two seconds to play to seal the victory for the Eagles.

“Lauren, without any question, was a leader for us at both ends of the court,” Head Coach Rick Stein said. “She made some big plays.”

Early in the contest, the Eagles (2-0) got three pointers from Newhart and senior guard Ellen Young as they took a 6-0 lead.

Minnesota State-Moorhead (0-1), however, stormed back, outscoring USI 19-5 during one stretch to take a 21-13 advantage with less than nine minutes to play in the opening period. USI, however, used a swarming defense effort to hold the Dragons to just five points in the final nine minutes of the half as they turned the eight-point deficit into a 32-26 halftime advantage.

Despite halftime lead, the Eagles once again found themselves in an eight-point hole. Once again, though, USI's defense answered the challenge as the Eagles came roaring back from a 51-43 deficit.

The Eagles' defense limited the Dragons to just six points and two field goals throughout the final 10 minutes of the contest.

A layup by Meneghetti and a pair of free throws by junior guard Cootie Leeberg closed the gap to five points. Meneghetti's three-pointer with just over seven minutes to play brought the Eagles to within two points (52-50).

Young, who finished with 10 points, had a layup and a pair of free throws that cut the deficit to 55-54 with 3:25 to play, while Newhart sunk two free throws with just over two minutes to play to bring USI back to within a single point at 57-56.

Senior forward/center Courtney Perry who was vital to the Eagles' success Friday, hit the front end of a two-shot foul to tie the game at 57 with 1:15 to play. Her rebound with 35 seconds to play gave the Eagles possession of the ball, setting up Meneghetti's late-game heroics.

“When push came to came to shove, our team defense was the difference,” Stein said. “I thought we had key contributions from a lot of different players. Lauren and CP (Courtney Perry) were a major factor and our bench was great on the defensive end.”

Perry finished with a game and career-high 12 rebounds to go along with her seven points. She had six offensive rebounds, allowing the Eagles to gain a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points.

As a team, the Eagles scored 33 points off 26 Minnesota State-Moorhead turnovers.

USI returns to action Saturday when it faces Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. (CST). The game can be heard on WPSR 90.7 FM or via the internet at theedgeradio.org. Live stats and live video can be accessed at gousieagles.com.