INDIANAPOLIS—Senior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) scored a career-high 35 points as No. 14 University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball rallied from a nine-point first half deficit to defeat host University of Indianapolis, 73-66, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference bout Saturday afternoon.
 
Dahlstrom went 15-of-20 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, while grabbing nine rebounds as the Screaming Eagles earned their eighth straight win.
 
USI (8-0, 2-0 GLVC) used a dominating effort in the third quarter that saw the Eagles outscore the Greyhounds, 21-5. The Eagles held UIndy to just 1-of-12 (.083) shooting and forced the Greyhounds into six third-quarter turnovers as they turned a 41-37 halftime deficit into a 58-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
UIndy (1-7, 0-2 GLVC), which trailed 71-54 with four minutes to play in the game, made a late charge to make things interesting; but the damage the Eagles inflicted in the first 15 minutes of the second half proved to be too much for the Greyhounds to overcome.
 
In addition to Dahlstrom, who also had a pair of blocks, the Eagles got 13 points from senior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) as well as nine points, six assists and four steals from junior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana). Junior forward Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) added eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks to the Eagles' cause.
 
Senior guard Martha Burse had 28 points and five steals to lead the Greyhounds.
 
The Eagles return to action December 16 at 3 p.m. when they resume non-conference play against NAIA opponent Harris-Stowe State University at the Physical Activities Center. USI visits 2017 NCAA II Tournament participant Lincoln Memorial University December 19 before finishing the non-conference slate December 31 against Grace College at the PAC.

Notes
Dahlstrom's 35 points marked the highest scoring total for the Eagles since Anna Hackert racked up 35 points and 16 rebounds in USI's 68-49 win over Indianapolis February 19, 2015 and is tied for the 11th most points by a USI Women's Basketball player in program history...Dahlstrom's previous career high was 22 points against Northwood University earlier this season...USI's 8-0 start is its best since the Eagles opened the 2012-13 season with 11 straight wins and is the fifth best start to a season in program history...the 66 points Indianapolis scored were the most by a USI opponent this year, while the seven-point margin of victory was the slimmest for the Eagles.
 
1st Quarter (UIndy 21, USI 17)
Despite shooting 53.8 percent from the field in the opening quarter, the Eagles trailed 21-17 at the end of the period as UIndy capitalized on six USI turnovers to grab control of the contest. Dahlstrom had six points in the first quarter to lead the Eagles, who trailed by as many as nine points in the first 10 minutes.
 
2nd Quarter (UIndy 41, USI 37)
Dahlstrom scored 15 points in the second quarter as USI grabbed a 28-27 lead and a 37-36 lead. Indianapolis, however, scored the final five points of the second period to maintain a 41-37 lead heading into the intermission.
 
3rd Quarter (USI 58, UIndy 46)
It was a typical USI third quarter as the Eagles outscored the Greyhounds 21-5 to take a 58-46 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest. The Eagles held UIndy to just 1-of-12 shooting in the third quarter, while Dahlstrom scored eight points to put the Eagles in front.
 
4th Quarter (USI 73, UIndy 66)
The Eagles continued their onslaught into the fourth quarter as they extended their lead to as much as 17 with just over four minutes left in the game. UIndy made a late charge, outscoring the Eagles 12-2 to cut USI's lead to seven with less than a minute to play; but time ran out on the Greyhounds' surge as USI held on for the seven-point win. Davidson had four assists and Dahlstrom six points to help fend off UIndy, which got 15 points from Burse in the fourth period.