at Southern Indiana (13-5, 7-3 GLVC): 73
Illinois Springfield (5-13, 1-9 GLVC): 72
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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Junior guard
Libby Ogden scored a go-ahead layup with less 10 seconds to play and junior forward/center
Anna Hackert had a game-saving block with less than three seconds as the University of Southern Indiana escaped an upset bid with a 73-72 Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division victory over the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday evening at the Physical Activities Center.
After erasing a late nine-point deficit, the Screaming Eagles found themselves trailing 72-71 following a three-pointer by Illinois Springfield junior guard Courtney Knuckles with 27 seconds to play.
Ogden, who had several possessions earlier in the contest in which she drove into the paint before dishing off to Hackert for an easy layup, found an opening in the Prairie Stars defense on the far side of the court. She drove the lane and converted the left-handed layup to give the Eagles a one-point cushion.
Illinois Springfield (5-13, 1-9 GLVC) had an opportunity to win the game in the last possession, but a layup by senior guard Alyssa Palmer on the baseline was swatted out of bounds by Hackert. The Prairie Stars had one last chance at a desperation three-pointer, but Knuckle's attempt from the right wing fell short as time expired.
Hackert paced the Eagles (13-5, 7-3 GLVC), who erased an 11-point first-half deficit to take a 40-35 halftime advantage, with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and a career-high tying four blocks. Ogden finished with 13 points, 10 of which came in the first 20 minutes, and four assists.
After going 19-of-20 at the free throw line in the first half, the Eagles uncharacteristically missed 10 of their 17 attempts at the charity stripe in the second period.
Illinois Springfield, meanwhile, hit six three-pointers in the final 20 minutes as it surged in front, 62-53, with just over eight minutes to play.
A three-pointer by junior guard
Mariah Nimmo broke the Prairie Stars' momentum and began a 12-3 USI run that tied the contest at 65 with three minutes on the clock.
Nimmo, who matched her career-high with eight points, hit a three-pointer with just under two minutes to play to put the Eagles ahead, 68-65.
Illinois Springfield tied the game at 69 with 54 seconds to play, but Hackert put in a layup on USI's next possession, after receiving a pass from a driving Ogden, to stake the Eagles to a two-point edge with 40 seconds to play. Illinois Springfield answered with the three-pointer by Knuckles to grab the short-lived 72-71 advantage.
In addition to Hackert and Ogden, the Eagles got 17 points from senior guard
Stephanie Carpenter, who was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV team earlier in the day. Carpenter hit two shots from behind the arc to move into second-place all-time at USI with 166 career three-pointers.
USI, which had a season-high seven blocks, returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts McKendree University at the PAC. The Bearcats (7-10, 2-7 GLVC) suffered an 85-79 setback to Bellarmine University Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky.
