| Box Score (html version)
Southern Indiana (5-1): 73
Coker (0-5): 53

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Behind a dominating inside presence, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team bounced back from a loss Saturday to post a convincing 73-53 victory over Coker College Sunday on the final day of the MetroMedical Solutions Thanksgiving Classic.

The Screaming Eagles (5-1) out-rebounded the Cobras (0-5), 62-39, and outscored Coker, 44-18, in the paint as they cruised to the 20-point triumph.

USI made its inside presence felt early as freshman forward/center Anna Hackert scored the Eagles' first 13 points of the contest.

“One of the things we wanted to do is establish the inside game,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said. “We wanted to go inside early and often and we were able to do that.”

Trailing by a point just over five minutes into the game, the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to build a 17-10 lead with 12 minutes to play in the contest. USI, behind 19 first-half points from Hackert, spread its advantage to 35-22 at the break and never looked back.

Hackert finished the contest with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, marking the second straight game that the Memorial High School graduate has recorded a double-double. Hackert, who was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds during the two-day classic, finished one point shy of what is believed to be the Eagles' all-time freshman record—Jessica Stuckman scored 30 points against Saint Joseph's College December 2, 2000.

The inside presence was critical for the Eagles, who shot just 6.7 percent from three-point range. “The rebounds were crucial, especially on the offensive end,” Stein said. “The ball wasn't going in for us, but we crashed the glass and got a lot of second chances.”

USI finished the contest with 22 offensive rebounds and had 22 second-chance points to Coker's four.

“I thought we showed a lot of toughness to bounce back from a tough loss,” Stein said. “We played with a lot of heart.”

In addition to Hackert, the Eagles got eight points and five rebounds from freshman forward/center Mary O'Keefe as well as seven points and eight rebounds from sophomore guard Ariel Barnes. USI also got eight rebounds from senior guard/forward Kristin Raker and freshman forward Brooke Valentine and seven rebounds from junior guard Marina Hartman.

The Eagles return to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they visit defending Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament champion Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. The contest is the first conference game for both GLVC East Division teams.