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Box Score (html)
at William Jewell (8-3, 3-2 GLVC): 60
Southern Indiana (6-7, 0-5 GLVC): 55
LIBERTY, Mo.—Despite possessing a 28-17 halftime lead and a five-point lead with less than six minutes to play, the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team was unable to notch its first Great Lakes Valley Conference win of the year as the Screaming Eagles fell, 60-55, to host William Jewell College Thursday evening.
USI (6-7, 0-5 GLVC) led 35-25 with less than 15 minutes to play, but a 16-6 William Jewell run that featured nine points coming from the free throw line allowed the Cardinals to forge a 41-41 tie with 6:25 to play in the contest.
A layup by freshman forward/center
Mary O'Keefe followed by a three-pointer from sophomore guard
Stephanie Carpenter turned momentum back into USI's favor as the Eagles built a 46-41 lead with 5:24 to play in the contest.
William Jewell (8-3, 3-2 GLVC), however, answered the Eagles' spurt with an 11-0 surge of its own as the Cardinals took a 52-46 lead, their first of the half, with less than three minutes to play.
“We just couldn't sustain it,” Head Coach
Rick Stein said. “We had a stretch where we couldn't get a bucket, couldn't make a play, and we had too many fouls.
“We gave up way too many (free throw) attempts in the second half,” Stein continued. “During the run, a lot of (their scoring) came from free throws.”
The second-half performance ruined a great start to the game for the Eagles, who used a 15-2 run to build a 26-11 advantage in the opening period.
USI shot 43.5 percent from the field in the opening period and was 6-of-8 from the free throw line as it took control of the contest.
William Jewell, however, shot 47.8 percent in the second half and was 18-of-23 from free throw line as it outscored the Eagles 43-27 in the final 20 minutes.
“I feel like we are really close,” Stein said, “but we were a few missed plays away from topping it off and getting a win. We did a good job of getting a lead on the road, but we have to learn how to make a 12-point lead into a 14-point lead and so on.”
O'Keefe and senior guard/forward
Kristin Raker each had 12 points to lead the Eagles, while freshman forward
Brooke Valentine (Jeffersonville, Indiana) had a game-high 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Junior forward Holly Switzer led William Jewell with 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half.
USI, which has lost four straight and six of its last seven, returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it travels to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on Rockhurst University. The Hawks (3-9, 1-4 GLVC) fell to Kentucky Wesleyan College, 76-72, Thursday evening.
