EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball saw an 11-point second-half lead disappear as Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division foe Saint Joseph's College rallied for a 67-64 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center.
 
USI (10-9, 3-8 GLVC) led 44-33 with less than four minutes to play when Saint Joseph's went on a 9-0 run to get back into the contest.
 
After watching the visiting Pumas get to within a point with just over six minutes to play in regulation, the Screaming Eagles got back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) and freshman center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) to build a 54-47 advantage midway through the fourth period.
 
USI, however, was held scoreless throughout the next four minutes as Saint Joseph's used an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead. The Eagles went 0-of-5 from the field and had two turnovers during that stretch as the Pumas grabbed the 55-54 lead with less than a minute to play.
 
Junior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) hit a jumper with 37 seconds to play to end the Eagles' drought and give USI a one-point edge. Marcum, however, missed two free throws with 17 seconds left in regulation that would have given the Eagles a three-point lead.
 
Instead, Saint Joseph's junior forward Kalea Parks converted 1-of-2 free throws on the other end of the court to tie the contest. USI missed a pair of shots in the final five seconds of regulation as the two teams went to the extra period.
 
USI grabbed a quick four-point lead in the opening minute of overtime and led 61-58 with just over two minutes left in the period. However, an 8-1 Saint Joseph's run throughout the next two minutes put the Eagles into a four-point deficit with 10 seconds to play.
 
Marcum's free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining cut USI's deficit to 66-64. After Saint Joseph's senior guard Lauren Davis missed two free throws on the opposite end, the Eagles found themselves with the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead with four seconds remaining.
 
USI, however, turned the ball over on the inbound; then failed to get a shot off in the final two seconds of the contest.
 
Sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) led the Eagles with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals, while Dearing had 14 points. Marcum finished with 11 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and four assists; while junior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) added 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
Parks had a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Saint Joseph's, which defeated the Eagles at the PAC for the first time in 18 games—the Pumas last win at the PAC was during the 1994-95 campaign.
 
USI, which has lost eight consecutive games, returns to action Thursday at 5:45 p.m. when it visits No. 18 Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.