EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) and senior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) combined for 44 points and 10 rebounds as the No. 20 University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball team defeated No. 9 Drury University, 84-78, in a battle between Great Lakes Valley Conference Division leaders Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center.
 
USI (20-3, 12-1 GLVC) used a 10-3 fourth-quarter run to pull away from the visiting Panthers; then held off a late rally to earn its sixth straight win. Senior forward Tasia Brewer (Terre Haute, Indiana) had five of her 11 points in the run that gave the Screaming Eagles a 70-69 lead with 7:30 to play in the game.
 
Drury (20-3, 12-1 GLVC) responded with a 5-0 spurt to cut the Eagles' advantage to six, but a 10-2 USI rally put the Eagles up, 80-66, with three minutes to play.
 
Wascher, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, scored the first six points in the run, while junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) and junior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) each contributed baskets.
 
The Panthers used a 10-1 stretch to get to within five points (81-76) with 24 seconds to play, but a pair of free throws by Marcum, who finished with a game-high 24 points, ended any chance of a Drury comeback.
 
Marcum added four rebounds and four assists for the Eagles, who shot a blistering 56.9 percent (33-58) from the field. Grooms added 18 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Dahlstrom finished with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
USI shot 62.5 percent (10-16) from the field in the first quarter to grab a 24-17 lead through the first 10 minutes. The Panthers rallied to take a brief three-point lead late in the second quarter, but USI scored the last three points of the period to forge a 39-39 tie at the break; then scored the first four points of the second half to build a 43-39 lead.
 
Drury, which hit eight three-pointers, tied the contest at 43-43, but an 8-0 USI run would give the Eagles a 51-43 lead they would not relinquish. The Panthers closed USI's lead to 53-52 with four minutes to play in the third quarter, but a 7-4 USI run put the Eagles up, 60-56, heading into the final period.
 
Senior forward Briana Jones and freshman guard Daejah Bernard had 17 and 16 points, respectively, to lead the Panthers.
 
USI, which maintains its two-game lead in the GLVC East Division, returns to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when it visits the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The Eagles stay in St. Louis for a bout with Maryville University next Saturday before returning to the PAC for their Play4Kay game against the University of Illinois Springfield February 16.