OWENSBORO, Ky.—Seven University of Southern Indiana women's basketball players finished with at least nine points as the Screaming Eagles held off host Kentucky Wesleyan College, 72-58, Thursday night at the Sportscenter to earn its second straight Midwest Region victory.
The Eagles (2-1), who led for all but three minutes, used a 17-9 run throughout the final six minutes of the opening frame to build a commanding 39-23 halftime advantage. Senior guard
Mariah Nimmo (Groveland, Illinois) and freshman forward
Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) each had six points in the outburst that saw USI shoot 6-of-8 from the field.
Kentucky Wesleyan (0-2) fought back in the second period, using a 23-13 run throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half to cut the Eagles' advantage to 52-46. USI coughed the ball over 11 times during that stretch as the Panthers went 8-of-18 from the field.
USI, however, stopped the Panthers' momentum, using a 16-1 run that lasted nearly four minutes to build an insurmountable 68-47 lead with just over four minutes to play in the contest. Senior forward/center
Mary O'Keefe (Edwardsville, Illinois) and sophomore guard
Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) each had six points in the run.
The Eagles hit 6-of-7 shots during the game-clinching run and held the Panthers to 0-of-5 from the floor. Dahlstrom also contributed four points during that stretch.
Freshman guard/forward
Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) led all scorers with 14 points, while Dahlstrom chipped in 12 points. Senior forward/center
Anna Hackert (Evansville, Indiana) posted her third straight double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as she entered the top five all-time at USI in career rebounds (687).
Marcum, O'Keefe, Nimmo, and senior guard
Autumn Miller (Louisville, Kentucky) each had nine points for the Eagles, who out-rebounded the Panthers 40-23. USI shot 52.0 percent from the floor, including 7-of-17 (.412) from downtown. The nine points represented career highs for both Nimmo and Marcum.
Sophomore forward Jennifer Walker-Crawford and freshman guard Haley Cook each had 13 points to lead Kentucky Wesleyan.
The Eagles return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when they host 2012 NCAA II champion Ashland University at the Physical Activities Center.
