at Southern Indiana (19-7, 10-5 GLVC): 74
Kentucky Wesleyan (12-14, 5-12 GLVC): 66
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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to defeat Kentucky Wesleyan College, 74-66, Monday evening at the Physical Activities Center.
Junior guard Ellen Young, who scored 16 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, jump-started a decisive 11-0 run that allowed the Screaming Eagles to remain unbeaten (13-0) at the PAC this year.
With the Eagles (19-7, 10-5 GLVC) trailing 60-58 with seven minutes to play, Young stepped up and hit a three-pointer while being fouled in the process from right in front of the USI bench. She converted the free throw to rack up her second four-point play in as many games as the Eagles took a 62-60 advantage.
From that point, USI got a free throw from senior guard/forward Abby Williams, followed by a basket from junior guard Rinesha Soaper. Williams completed the 11-0 run with a pair of layups to give USI a 69-60 cushion with just under three minutes to play in the contest.
Kentucky Wesleyan (12-14, 5-12 GLVC), which owned a 35-32 halftime advantage after trailing by as many as eight points in the first period, went on a 4-0 run to get within five points, but Williams ended the spurt and pushed the contest to a three-possession game with a pair of free throws as the Eagles won for the fourth time in five outings.
While Williams played a key role in the Eagles' 11-0 run, it was Young that kept the Eagles within striking distance. Young scored 11-points in a six-minute span that saw the Eagles turn a 56-49 deficit into a two-point lead.
In addition to Young, who went 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range, Soaper and Williams each finished in double digits. Soaper hit three shots from downtown to finish with 15 points, while Williams scored 10 of her 12 points in the second period. Williams also pulled down five of her team-high tying six rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
Kentucky Wesleyan was led by sophomore guard Kristen Rowe and sophomore center Katie Behrens. Rowe finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while Behrens had 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior guard Jennifer Coronelli, a teammate of Williams at Kankakee Community College, had 15 points in the first half, but was held scoreless in the final period.
USI, which committed just 13 turnovers while forcing the Panthers into 26 offensive miscues, visits Northern Kentucky University Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (CST) in a game that could go a long way in determining the NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament participants. The Eagles wrap up the weekend Saturday at Bellarmine University (4:45 p.m.), before closing the regular season next Monday when they host Quincy University for Senior Night.
