Southern Indiana (6-5, 2-1 GLVC): 82
at Saint Joseph's (4-7, 1-2 GLVC): 66
Box Score

RENSSELAER, Ind.—Five minutes into the University of Southern Indiana's women's basketball bout with Saint Joseph's College, it looked as if the Screaming Eagles' shooting effort from Thursday evening's loss to No. 12 Michigan Tech University had carried over into Sunday's return to Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

USI (6-5, 2-1 GLVC) trailed 14-2 five minutes into the contest and was just 1-of-6 from the field with five turnovers and just three rebounds. The last 35 minutes, however, were a completely different story as the Eagles warmed up the Sharf Fieldhouse en route to an 82-66 victory over the host Pumas.

“I thought we had great looks and that our execution was good,” Head Coach Rick Stein said. “We gave up too many points though in the first five minutes.”

USI, which made 14 of its final 23 shots of the opening period, scored 11 straight points to close the early deficit to a single digit. “The key for us was to keep guarding,” Stein said. “We kept them at 14 points for a long time. We were getting good looks and the ball started going in for us.”

The Eagles, who shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half and 47.6 percent for the game, capped off what turned out to be an 18-4 run with a bucket by senior guard Ellen Young to take a 20-18 advantage, the Eagles' first lead of the contest.

The Eagles built a six-point lead in the opening period before settling on a 38-36 lead at the break; then used a 13-0 second half run to turn a 43-41 cushion into a commanding 15-point advantage. USI, which outrebounded Saint Joseph's 46-20, extended its lead to as many as 19 points on a couple occasions before settling on the 16-point victory.

“We talked about outrebounding them by double figures,” Stein said. “As the game went on, the backboards became a big factor for us.”

Young and senior guard Amie Newhart each scored 19 points to lead all scorers, while junior guard/forward Kristin Raker chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds.

Senior forward/center Stephanie McSparin recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Young and senior guard Stephanie Gehlhausen each dished out four assists.

“I was pleased with our balance today, with the number of players that contributed,” Stein said. “It was nice to have that inside-out balance working the way it did for us today.”

The Eagles return to action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. when they visit the University of Illinois-Springfield. The Prairie Stars (4-6, 0-3 GLVC) suffered a 99-54 setback to the University of Indianapolis Sunday in Springfield, Illinois.