(sortable) | Box Score (html)
Kentucky Wesleyan (10-5, 4-3 GLVC): 81
at Southern Indiana (6-9, 0-7 GLVC): 66

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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team could not quite get over the hump Monday evening as Kentucky Wesleyan College handed the Screaming Eagles an 81-66 Great Lakes Valley Conference setback at the Physical Activities Center.

USI (6-9, 0-7 GLVC) trailed by as many as 19 with less than six minutes to play in the opening period, but a 19-10 run to end the half pulled the Eagles to within 10 at 41-31 heading into the intermission.

A quick layup followed by a three-pointer by sophomore guard Stephanie Carpenter in the opening stages of the second half pulled the Eagles to within five points, but Kentucky Wesleyan answered with a 6-0 spurt to give itself a 47-36 advantage with just under 17 minutes to play.

The two teams battled back and forth throughout the next three minutes of the contest when a layup by sophomore guard Ariel Barnes began a 7-0 USI run that would get the Eagles to within four points (54-50) with 11 minutes to play in the contest.

Following a 6-2 run that got the Eagles to within four points with just under six minutes to play, Kentucky Wesleyan (10-5, 4-3 GLVC) got an old-fashioned three-point play from senior center Katie Behrens to take a 68-61 advantage with 5:36 to play in the contest.

Behrens, who led all scorers with 21 points, added a three-pointer 30 seconds later as the Panthers extended their lead to nine points. Her pass less than a minute later led to another Kentucky Wesleyan three-pointer as the Panthers built a 74-62 advantage with less than five minutes to play.

USI, which saw the Panthers go on a 10-1 run, never got the deficit back to single digits as it suffered its sixth straight loss and its eighth in the last nine games.

Freshman forward/center Anna Hackert led the Eagles with 17 points; while Carpenter and senior guard/forward Kristin Raker each had 14 points. Raker also added a game-high five assists, while freshman forward Brooke Valentine had a game-high tying six rebounds.

For the game, the Eagles shot 40 percent and were out-rebounded, 39-26. The Panthers, who shot 59.1 percent from the field in the second half and 53.2 percent for the game, held an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points.

USI returns to action Thursday at 5:15 p.m. when it hosts the University of Indianapolis at the PAC. The Greyhounds (12-3, 6-1 GLVC) recorded a convincing 72-42 victory over Saint Joseph's College Monday evening in Indianapolis.