ST. CHARLES, Mo.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team rallied from deficits of 15 points and nine points to stun No. 2 Lewis University, 71-66, in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament Saturday night at the Family Arena.
 
USI (25-5), which reaches the GLVC Championship game for the first time since 2002, scored the first 10 points of the second period to erase a 30-21 halftime deficit and grab a brief 31-30 lead, its first of the game, two-and-a-half minutes into the half. Freshman guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) scored eight of the Screaming Eagles' 10 points during that spurt that saw USI rattle the second-seeded Flyers.
 
Lewis (28-2) responded with a three-pointer from senior guard Kristin Itschner to retake the lead, but a trifecta on by sophomore guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) moments later saw USI take another one-point advantage.
 
The two teams traded blows throughout the next 13 minutes—the second half featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties; but with just over two minutes to play and the score tied at 65-65, senior forward/center Mary O'Keefe (Edwardsville, Illinois) used a pass from Grooms to sink a basket from just inside the foul line to put USI up 67-65.
 
After the Eagles got a pair of stops on the defensive end during the next minute, Grooms earned a trip to the foul line, where she sank both shots to give the Eagles a 69-65 lead with just over a minute to play.
 
Lewis junior forward Mariyah Brawner-Henley hit one-of-two free throws on the Flyers' next possession to make it a one-possession game; then Lewis got a stop on the other end of the floor with 25 seconds to play to give itself the opportunity to tie the contest.
 
GLVC Player of the Year Jamie Johnson's three-point attempt with 10 seconds to play was off the mark and sailed out of bounds, giving the ball back to USI. Johnson, who was held to 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, was heavily guarded by Grooms on the play.
 
Senior guard Autumn Miller (Louisville, Kentucky) sealed the victory for the Eagles with a pair of free throws on USI's next possession as USI earned its 11th straight win.
 
Early in the contest, it looked as if the Eagles would not be able to provide much of an opposition to the Flyers as Lewis charged out to an 18-3 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the opening period. USI, however, used a 14-0 run throughout the next five minutes to trim its deficit to a single point. Marcum, who led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, scored five of those points.
 
The Flyers, who were outrebounded 43-32, answered USI's push with a 12-4 rally to build the nine-point halftime advantage.
 
In addition to Marcum, the Eagles got 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists from Grooms as well as nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds from Anna Hackert (Evansville, Indiana). Miller also chipped in nine points and four assists, while O'Keefe added six points and seven rebounds.
 
USI, which shot 42.4 percent from the field, including 53.3 percent in the final 20 minutes, advances to the GLVC Championship game Sunday at 3:30 p.m., where it faces No. 8 Drury University. The Panthers (25-3), who are the top-seed in the tournament, defeated fourth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 70-66, earlier in the evening.
 
The Eagles, who reached the 25-win plateau for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2002, are 3-0 all-time in the GLVC Championship game, with their last title coming in 2002.