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at Southern Indiana (13-1, 5-1 GLVC): 70
#5 Indianapolis (11-3, 4-2 GLVC): 69
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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana sophomore forward/center Anna Hackert had a basket, three rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the final minute to give the Screaming Eagles a 70-69 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over No. 5 University of Indianapolis Saturday at the Physical Activities Center.

Following Hackert's go-ahead basket with a minute to play, the Memorial High School grad had a block on the defensive end to keep the visiting Greyhounds from retaking the lead; then with time expiring, she deflected UIndy senior guard Kristin Turner's shot to preserve the victory.

Hackert finished the contest with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high four blocks; but it might have all been in a losing effort had it not been for the shooting efforts of junior guard Aubrey Minix, who after scoring a career-high 12 points in USI's win over Saint Joseph's College Thursday evening, poured in a new career-high 18 points and four assists.

Minix drained four three-pointers in the first half as USI rallied from an early 11-point deficit to take a brief 33-29 lead with two minutes to play in the half. Although UIndy rallied to take a 34-33 halftime advantage, Minix's efforts helped open up the inside for the Eagles' scorers in the final period.

First it was junior guard Ariel Barnes knifing through the Greyhounds' 3-2 zone for a pair of layups; then it was Hackert, who a scored 13 points in the second half. And when Minix nailed her fifth shot from behind the arc, USI had a 55-49 advantage with less than nine minutes to play.


UIndy, however, turned to junior guard Katy McIntosh, who scored the next four points to bring the Greyhounds to within two. Turner followed with eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers, to cap off a 12-0 run that gave the Greyhounds a 61-55 lead with just over four minutes remaining.

Hackert answered UIndy's run as she scored the Eagles' next five points to keep the Greyhounds within reach; then Minix hit her sixth three-pointer of the contest to bring the Eagles to within a point (64-63). Junior guard Stephanie Carpenter followed with a shot from the far corner to put the Eagles up 66-64 with 2:47 to play.

UIndy (11-3, 4-2 GLVC) came roaring back behind Turner, who had a game-high 25 points, and McIntosh, who added 19 points. Turner drained her fifth three-pointer of the contest to put the Greyhounds up by a point; then McIntosh got a jumper to fall with 1:50 remaining to put UIndy up 69-66.

USI (13-1, 5-1 GLVC) cut the deficit to a single digit as Carpenter drained a pair of free throws; then Hackert followed a missed layup by Barnes with an offensive rebound and a layup to give USI a 70-69 edge with a minute.

Hackert's block with 36 seconds left led to a defensive rebound by Barnes and a chance for USI to extend its advantage; but following a shot clock violation, UIndy found itself with the ball and six seconds remaining to go for the win.

Turner grabbed the ensuing inbounds pass, raced down the court, and tried to feed the ball into the low post for a quick bucket. The ball, however, was tipped out of bounds by a USI defender with 2.1 seconds remaining.

Once again, Turner got the ball in her hands and got off a shot that would have won the contest. Hackert, however, deflected the shot as time expired, giving the Eagles the one-point victory and a 10-0 record at the PAC.

In addition to Hackert and Minix, the Eagles got 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals from Barnes. Carpenter added seven points and five rebounds for the Eagles, who turned the ball over just nine times in the contest.

USI returns to action Monday at 5:15 p.m. when it travels to Owensboro, Kentucky, to take on red-hot Kentucky Wesleyan College in a battle for first-place in the GLVC East Division. The Panthers (9-4, 5-1 GLVC), who have won six of their last seven games, defeated Saint Joseph's, 65-48, Saturday at the Owensboro Sportscenter.