Southern Indiana (2-0): 81
Georgia Southwestern State (0-2): 64
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PENSACOLA, Fla.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team shot a school-record 78.6 percent from three-point range as it defeated Georgia Southwestern State University, 81-64, Saturday afternoon in the UWF Tip-Off Classic.

USI (2-0) trailed briefly in the first three minutes, but an 8-0 run that featured three-pointers by sophomore guard Taylor Stevenson and junior guard Stephanie Carpenter gave the Screaming Eagles a 13-7 lead they would not relinquish.

The Eagles used three-pointers by Carpenter and junior guard Jessica Parker to build a 19-9 advantage with 12:45 to play in the first half; then used a 9-0 run that ended with a Stevenson trifecta to close the half and claim a 43-32 edge at the intermission.

Georgia Southwestern State (0-2) cut USI's advantage to five points with 15 minutes to play in the second period, but a three-pointer by Stevenson momentarily halted the Hurricanes' surge and gave USI a 53-45 advantage.

USI used an 8-0 run later in the second half to turn away one final Georgia Southwestern State spurt. Junior guard Ariel Barnes began the run with a layup to give USI a 66-58 lead, then sophomore forward/center Mary O'Keefe scored six straight points as USI built it a 72-58 advantage with seven minutes to play.

O'Keefe, who finished the contest with 18 points and five rebounds, scored 11 points in the final nine minutes as USI extended its advantage to as much as 18.

Stevenson, who scored 13 points in the opening period, broke the school record for three-point field goal percentage in a single game as she drained all five of her attempts from behind the arc to finish with a career-high 19 points.

As a team, the Eagles buried 11 of their 14 attempts from downtown, including 7-of-9 attempts in the first 20 minutes.

Carpenter aided the Eagles from the outside as she drained 4-of-5 shots from three-point range to finish with 14 points. Sophomore forward/center Anna Hackert added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Barnes finished with eight points and a game-high five assists.

USI, which outrebounded the Hurricanes 41-28, went 24-of-46 (.522) from the field and 22-of-33 (.667) from the free throw line.

The Eagles return to action next Saturday at 1 p.m. when they host Kentucky State University in their home-opener at the Physical Activities Center.