at Southern Indiana (10-0, 2-0 GLVC): 69
Maryville (5-6, 1-2 GLVC): 63
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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Sophomore forward/centers
Anna Hackert and
Mary O'Keefe combined for 38 points, 22 rebounds, and eight assists to lead the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team to a 69-63 victory over defending Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament champion Maryville University Saturday at the Physical Activities Center.
The Screaming Eagles (10-0, 2-0 GLVC), who have won 11 straight games dating back to the end of the 2011-12 campaign, used an 8-0 run late in the second half to turn a 52-49 deficit into a five-point cushion with less than five minutes to play.
Hackert and O'Keefe combined for the first six points in the run before junior guard
Stephanie Carpenter hit a jumper in transition to give the Eagles a 57-52 edge.
Maryville (5-6, 1-2 GLVC), which suffered a double-overtime setback to Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday evening, battled back from deficits throughout its bout with USI. The Saints overcame a 10-point deficit in the first half and trailed by just four (29-25) at the break; then overcame a seven-point hole early in the final period before surging in front to take a three-point edge.
The Saints got a three-pointer from sophomore guard Shelby Miller to trim USI's lead to just two points (57-55) with 4:23 to play, but O'Keefe converted a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to keep Maryville from putting together a run.
O'Keefe, who had eight points to pace the Eagles in the opening frame, scored following a USI defensive stand to give USI a 61-55 cushion; but another Maryville three-pointer trimmed USI's lead to three with three minutes to play.
Junior guard
Jessica Parker came up with what might have been the play of the game in USI's next possession. Parker, who finished with nine points, grabbed a rebound after fellow classmate
Ariel Barnes missed a jumper. Parker positioned herself for an easy layup, her only basket of the second half, to answer Maryville's three-pointer and give USI a 63-58 advantage with less than three to play.
Hackert, who scored all of her game-high 20 points in the second half, converted a layup in USI's next trip down the court to give the Eagles a commanding 65-58 lead they would not relinquish. Hackert also dished out four of her career-high five assists in the second half and grabbed 11 of her career-best 15 rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
O'Keefe added 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as the Eagles concluded their season-long eight-game homestand with an unblemished mark.
USI, which shot just 25.6 percent from the field in the first half, went 16-of-27 (.593) from the floor in the second period, including 16-of-22 from inside the three-point arc. USI finished with a 45-42 edge on the glass and a 30-14 lead in points in the paint despite being out-rebounded and holding a slim 8-6 advantage in the paint during the first 20 minutes.
The Eagles return to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they travel to Springfield, Illinois, to take on the University of Illinois Springfield.
