| Box Score (html version)
St. Catharine (Ky.) (8-1): 73
Southern Indiana (4-1): 69

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team was held to just three points throughout the final five minutes of the contest as it suffered a 73-69 setback to St. Catharine College Saturday evening in the first round of the MetroMedical Thanksgiving Classic.

After falling behind, 70-67, with 34 seconds to play, the Screaming Eagles had an opportunity to close the gap. Freshman forward/center Anna Hackert missed a pair of layups with less than 25 seconds to play before the Patriots could corral the rebound.

USI's defense held strong, though, forcing a turnover to give itself an opportunity to tie the contest. Senior guard/forward Kristin Raker drove in for a quick layup, but her shot was swatted away by St. Catharine junior forward Janae Howard and into the hands of the Patriots' Kasei Evans, who made one-of-two free throw attempts on the other end to give her squad a 71-67 edge with 12 seconds to play.

USI got a put-back bucket from freshman forward Mary O'Keefe, who finished with 10 points and three rebounds, to cut the deficit to two with two seconds remaining in the game. The Patriots, however, were able to get the ball in bounds following a USI timeout as junior forward Reilly Poirier connected on a pair of free throws to clinch the win.

The Eagles (4-1) were led by Raker, who finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Hakcert added 11 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Stephanie Carpenter finished with eight points and a game-high five assists. Senior guard Cootie Leeberg also chipped in eight points and four assists.

St. Catharine (8-1), which out-rebounded the Eagles 41-37, got 32 points and 11 rebounds from Howard and 14 points from Poirier. Howard, a transfer from Western Kentucky University, gave the Patriots a 70-67 advantage her bucket with 34 seconds on the clock.

USI, which shot 39.4 percent from the field, overcame a five-point deficit in the opening period to forge a 36-36 tie at the break. The Eagles led by as many as seven early in the second period, but a 9-2 St. Catharine run put the game into a 52-52 tie with just over 12 minutes to play.

A 7-2 USI run put the Eagles in front, 59-54, with 11 minutes to play, but St. Catharine scored eight straight points to take a 62-59 lead with less than seven minutes on the clock. USI led 67-66 with 3:37 left in the game, but the Patriots' 5-0 spurt proved to be too much for the Eagles to overcome.

USI concludes the MetroMedical Thanksgiving Classic Sunday at 11 a.m. (CST) when it takes on Coker College. Sunday's game can be heard on WPSR 90.7 FM or online at gousieagles.com.