SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—University of Illinois Springfield sophomore guard Shelbi Patterson's potential game-tying basket in overtime was waived off as the University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team held on for a thrilling 77-75 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the host Prairie Stars Thursday evening.
 
Sophomore forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) hit 1-of-2 free throws with seven seconds to play to give the Screaming Eagles a 77-75 lead; but following a USI timeout, the Prairie Stars raced down the court to get potential game-winning three-pointer off from the far corner.
 
The shot, taken by senior guard Morgan Knorr, missed the rim; but Patterson raced in to tip the ball in as the buzzer went off. After further review, officials ruled that Patterson did not get her shot off in time, giving USI its third straight win despite not being able to put the Prairie Stars away.
 
Early in the contest, it looked as if USI would run away with the victory. The Eagles made their first five shots and 9-of-10 to open the game as they led 28-15 at the end of the first quarter.
 
USI (13-11, 6-10 GLVC) shot 63.0 percent (17-27) from the field in the first half and got 14 first-half points from sophomore guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) as it build a comfortable 40-26 halftime advantage.
 
The Eagles led by as many as 16 early in the third period, but the Prairie Stars slowly chipped away at USI's cushion. Illinois Springfield hit 9-of-12 shots from the field in the third quarter as it cut the Eagles' advantage in half (56-49) at the end of three quarters.
 
Illinois Springfield (8-16, 2-14 GLVC) continued that onslaught into the fourth period as it outscored the Eagles 12-4 in the first five minutes to build a 61-60 advantage, its first of the contest. USI briefly retook the lead, but a 4-0 Prairie Star run put the Eagles into a 65-62 deficit with two minutes to play.
 
Junior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) hit a pair of free throws with 1:42 to play to cut USI's deficit to a point; then hit a layup with 10 seconds to play as USI claimed a 66-65 lead.
 
Illinois Springfield junior guard Caroline Kelty made 1-of-2 free throws with five seconds to play as the Prairie Stars tied the game at 66-66 to force USI into its second overtime appearance of the year.
 
The Prairie Stars scored first in the overtime period, but a 7-0 USI run that featured five points by junior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) put the Eagles up 73-68 with 3:23 remaining.
 
Wascher, who scored seven of her game-high 19 points, in the overtime period, put USI up 75-70; but a three-pointer by Illinois Springfield senior guard Meredith Marti cut USI's lead to two points with less than two minutes on the clock. A layup by senior guard/forward Ashley McHenry with just under a minute to play tied the contest at 75-75, setting up the potential for a second overtime period.
 
Junior forward Tasia Brewer (Terre Haute, Indiana) made 1-of-2 free throws with less than 50 seconds to give USI a one-point edge; then Dahlstrom, after collecting her team-best 10th rebound, was fouled with seven seconds to play.
 
In addition to Wascher, the Eagles got a career-high 16 points and game-high five assists from Harshbarger. Marcum added 12 points and four assists, while sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) added 11 points.
 
Illinois Springfield, which went 8-of-18 from three point range, was led by Patterson's 18 points.
 
USI, which moved into a tie for the No. 8 seed in the GLVC Tournament, returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it visits McKendree University in a crucial East Division showdown. The Bearcats (11-15, 6-10 GLVC) fell to No. 25 Bellarmine University, 68-58, Thursday evening.
 
Note: The Eagles can clinch a GLVC Tournament berth with a win and one of the following scenarios: A University of Missouri-St. Louis loss to No. 12 Drury University; a William Jewell College loss to No. 23 Quincy University; or a University of Indianapolis loss to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
 
USI can clinch a first-round home game Saturday with a win and all of the following scenarios; a Missouri-St. Louis loss to Drury; a William Jewell loss to Quincy; an Indianapolis loss to Wisconsin-Parkisde; and a Rockhurst University loss to Truman State University.