at Southeast Missouri State: 68
Southern Indiana: 62
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Box Score
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.—Southeast Missouri State University scored seven unanswered points in the final three minutes to hand the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team a 68-62 exhibition loss Sunday afternoon.
USI, which led by 10 points with 10 minutes to play in the second period, saw the Redhawks reel off an 11-1 run to pull into a 54-54 tie with eight minutes to play. The offensive cold spell saw the Screaming Eagles attempt just two shots and commit three turnovers as Southeast Missouri State soared back into the contest.
Buckets by sophomore guards
Taylor Stevenson and
Libby Ogden brought the Eagles out of the slump and staked USI to a 58-56 advantage, but the Redhawks answered with five straight points to forge a brief three-point edge.
USI countered with baskets by sophomore forward/center
Mary O'Keefe and sophomore guard
Mariah Nimmo as it grabbed a 62-61 lead with just over three minutes to play, but a three-pointer by Southeast Missouri State's Allyson Bradshaw put the Redhawks in front for good.
USI struggled offensively in the final three minutes as the Eagles were held to just two shots and forced into three more turnovers.
The Eagles dominated the opening period as they used a 13-2 run to build a 31-25 lead. Stevenson scored 10 of her team-high tying 12 points in the first 20 minutes, while sophomore forward/center
Anna Hackert scored all of her 11 points in the first half as USI built a 36-30 lead at the break.
The Eagles saw that halftime advantage turn into a one-point deficit in the early stages of the second half, but an 11-0 run gave the Eagles a 53-43 lead midway through the final period.
In addition to Stevenson, who had seven rebounds, the Eagles were led in the scoring column by O'Keefe, who scored seven of her 12 points in the second half. Sophomore forward/center
Cayla Herbst added six points, four blocks, and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Bailie Roberts led the Redhawks with a game-high 18 points. Southeast Missouri State, which was just 1-of-9 from three-point range in the opening period, went 6-of-14 from behind the arc in the second half.
USI opens the season Friday at 2 p.m. when it travels to Pensacola, Florida, to take on the University of West Florida in the UWF Tip-Off Classic.
