at Kentucky Wesleyan (16-8, 10-7 GLVC): 81
Southern Indiana (15-9, 11-5 GLVC): 69
Box Score

OWENSBORO, Ky.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team will have to wait to clinch the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division title for at least a few more days after suffering an 81-69 setback to host Kentucky Wesleyan College Monday evening at the Sportscenter.

Kentucky Wesleyan (16-8, 10-7 GLVC) used first-half runs of 9-0 and 10-0 to forge a 48-29 advantage at the half. The Panthers, behind junior guard Kristen Rowe, shot 56.3 percent in the opening period while holding the Screaming Eagles to a .364 shooting clip in the first 20 minutes.

Rowe scored 12 of her team-high 18 points in the opening period as the Panthers turned a 20-19 deficit into a 28-20 cushion in less than two minutes.

After the Eagles (15-9, 11-5 GLVC) broke the Panthers' 9-0 spurt with a bucket by senior forward/center Courtney Perry, Kentucky Wesleyan put together a 10-0 run to extend its lead to 16 points with less than five minutes to play in the first half.

The Eagles, who fell behind by as many as 23 points early in the second half, chiseled the deficit to 11 points with just over eight minutes to play in the game. The Eagles used a 19-7 run that lasted nearly eight minutes to get themselves back to within striking distance

Kentucky Wesleyan, however, countered the Eagles' surge with seven straight points to go up 70-52 with just under seven minutes to play. USI got back to within 11 points on several occasions in the final minutes, but could not do enough to overcome its halftime deficit.

Perry led the Eagles with a career-high 23 points and game-high eight rebounds, while senior guard Amie Newhart finished with 21 points. Senior guard Ellen Young rounded out the Eagles' double-digit scorers with 10 points.

The Panthers, who moved into second place in the GLVC East Division, had four players in double figures. In addition to Rowe, freshman guard Karly Rhoads added 12 points while junior center Katie Behrens and sophomore guard Lauren Goffinet each had 10 points.

USI, which saw its season-high five-game winning streak come to a close, returns to action Thursday at 4:45 p.m. (CST) when it visits Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Bellarmine (11-13, 6-10 GLVC) fell to the University of Indianapolis, 79-53, Monday evening in Louisville. The Eagles can still clinch the GLVC East Division title with a win in their final two games.