at Southern Indiana (4-0): 90
Northwood (4-1): 77

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Playing its toughest opponent to date, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team prevailed, 90-77, over Midwest Region foe Northwood University Tuesday night at the Physical Activities Center despite having five players foul out and watching its opponent shoot 55 free throws.

After seeing an early 18-point lead dwindle to just two points (41-39) at the break, the Screaming Eagles found themselves in a 44-44 tie three minutes into the second stanza.

USI (4-0), however, dominated the next 10 minutes of the contest as it put together a 29-7 run to take a commanding 73-51 lead with just under seven minutes to play.

Eight different players scored for the Eagles during the stretch that staked USI to its largest lead of the contest. Sophomore guard Stephanie Carpenter scored six of her game and career-high 19 points during the run, while senior guard Cootie Leeberg added six of her 14 points as the Eagles took control of the contest.

Northwood (4-1), however, used the charity stripe and a timely three-pointer to chisel into the Eagles' advantage throughout the next minute. USI was whistled for three fouls during the one-minute stretch as the Timberwolves made 6-of-7 free throws while getting a three-pointer from junior guard Rachel Church to trim USI's lead to 74-60 with just under six minutes remaining in the game.

Senior guard/forward Kristin Raker, however, drained a three-pointer seconds later to end the 9-1 run and give USI a 17-point edge.

The final five minutes of the contest saw four of USI's players foul out as the Timberwolves scored nine of their final 13 points from the charity stripe.

Northwood cut USI's advantage to 86-73 with just under two minutes remaining, but a bucket by freshman forward Brooke Valentine which capped off a lengthy possession that took nearly 25 seconds off the clock seemed to take the wind out of Northwood's comeback bid.

In addition to Carpenter and Leeberg, Raker rounded out the Eagles' double-figure scorers with 14 points and a game-high five assists. Freshman forward Anna Hackert chipped in nine points, while Valentine and sophomore forward/center Nicole Hazemi contributed nine and eight points, respectively. Hazemi also added seven rebounds, while Valentine chipped in five rebounds.

Senior forward/center Savannah Stedman led the Timberwolves with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Church added 16 points.

USI, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2000-01, forced Northwood into 30 turnovers and held the Timberwolves to a .327 shooting percentage. Offensively, the Eagles shot 46.8 percent from the field after connecting on 53.6 percent of their shots in the second half.

The Eagles return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. (CST) when they take on St. Catharine College (Kentucky) in the MetroMedical Thanksgiving Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. USI plays Coker College Sunday at 11 a.m. to conclude the two-day classic, which is hosted by Bellarmine University in Knights Hall.

Saturday's game will not be carried on the airwaves, though live stats will be available. Sunday's game will be aired on WPSR 90.7 FM, while audio and live stats will be available at gousieagles.com.