Southern Indiana (7-5, 3-1 GLVC): 75
at Illinois-Springfield (4-7, 0-4 GLVC): 44
Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Senior guard Lauren Meneghetti came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points and grab six rebounds as the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team cruised to a 75-44 Great Lakes Valley Conference road victory over the University of Illinois-Springfield Tuesday evening.

Meneghetti scored 15 of those points in the first half as the Screaming Eagles, who used a 13-0 run early in the opening period to take command of the contest, built a 35-16 lead at the break.

“Lauren played great,” Head Coach Rick Stein said in his post-game interview with WPSR's Mitch Mullis. “She played under control and got everything out of what we do. She stepped up and made some big shots in the first half.”

The Eagles (7-5, 3-1 GLVC) shot 40 percent in the opening period and held the host Prairie Stars to just four field goals and a .154 first-half shooting percentage as they built the 19-point cushion heading into the intermission.

Senior guard Amie Newhart hit a three-pointer and three straight free throws in USI's 8-1 run to begin the second half. Newhart, who scored nine points in the second half, was one of four USI players to finish in double figures in the scoring column as she recorded 13 points and a game-high four assists.

“From start-to-finish, we did a lot of good things,” Stein said in his post-game interview. “We got a lot of things out of different people. A lot of our kids stepped up.”

In addition to Meneghetti and Newhart, senior guard Ellen Young chipped in 13 points, eight of which came in final 20 minutes, while junior guard/forward Kristin Raker added 10 points, marking the sixth straight game in which she has reached double figures.

Junior guard Cootie Leeberg contributed nine points, while senior forward/centers Stephanie McSparin and Courtney Perry pulled down eight and seven rebounds, respectively, to lead USI on the glass. The Eagles outrebounded the Prairie Stars, 48-36.

“There are no gimmies when you go on the road in this league,” Stein said. “I feel good about how our team is coming together and that we are starting to hit our stride.”

USI begins a three-game homestand Thursday at 5:15 p.m. when it hosts Maryville University at the Physical Activities Center. The Eagles host Missouri University of Science & Technology Saturday at 1 p.m. to complete a stretch that has them playing four games in a seven-day span.