LOUISVILLE, Ky.—University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball used second-half runs of 10-0 and 16-2 to pull away from host Bellarmine University and earn a 67-59 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory Monday evening at Knights Hall.
 
The No. 18/22 Screaming Eagles (13-2, 5-1 GLVC), which trailed by as much as seven points early in the opening period, found themselves in a 37-37 tie with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter. Two minutes later, USI led 47-37 thanks to a 10-0 run that was propelled by the Eagles' senior class of forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois), guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) and Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois).
 
After a Bellarmine (8-8, 3-4 GLVC) run cut the Eagles' advantage to three points late in the third frame, junior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana) drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give USI a 50-44 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Davidson's trifecta started a 16-2 run that left USI comfortably in front, 63-46, with less than six minutes to play in the contest. Davidson, who finished with a career-high 16 points, had 14 points in the second half and 11 in the 16-2 run that made the difference in the contest.
 
Grooms had 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Eagles, while Dahlstrom chipped in 16 points and 15 rebounds. Harshbarger added eight points, eight assists and four steals.
 
Senior guard Raven Merriweather had 22 points to lead the Knights, who outscored USI 13-4 in the final five minutes of the game.
 
USI returns to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when it hosts Missouri University S&T at the Physical Activities Center.
 
Notes
Grooms is averaging 21.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in USI's last four contests…USI shot 43.9 percent (25-57) from the field after beginning the contest by missing its first seven shots…the Eagles dominated the glass, outrebounding the Knights 41-26…USI outscored the Knights 32-20 in the paint.
 
1st Quarter (BU 15-12)
USI missed its first seven shots from the field and was in a 10-3 deficit before a 7-0 run tied the contest at 10-10. Grooms had six points to lead the Eagles, who went 5-of-14 (.357) from the field in the first 10 minutes.
 
2nd Quarter (USI 18-13)
In a second quarter that featured five lead changes and three ties, the Eagles grabbed a 30-28 halftime advantage thanks to a 6-of-10 (.600) shooting effort. Dahlstrom had seven points and three rebounds in the second quarter to lead the Eagles, who held the Knights to just 3-of-12 (.250) in the second period.
 
3rd Quarter (USI 20-16)
Davidson's buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third period gave USI a 50-44 lead heading into the final 10 minutes and swung momentum back in the Eagles' favor after they saw a 47-37 lead trimmed to just three-points late in the period. Dahlstrom had seven points to lead the Eagles, who used a 10-0 run to create separation between the two teams.
 
4th Quarter (USI 17-15)
USI used a 16-2 run that started with Davidson's three-pointer at the end of the third period to break the game wide open. Davidson had eight points in the final 10 minutes to lead the Eagles, who led by as many as 17 before settling on the eight-point victory.