MIDLAND, Mich.—University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball lost a heartbreaking 72-71 Midwest Region bout to host Northwood University Friday evening in its 2018-19 season-opener.
 
The Screaming Eagles (0-1) rallied from a late six-point deficit to tie the contest at 71-71 when senior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana) drained a three-pointer with 20 seconds to play in the contest.
 
Northwood (1-0), however, benefitted from a late whistle, which sent sophomore guard Ellie Taylor to the free throw line with 2.3 seconds to play. Taylor missed the first shot, but made the second, forcing USI, which was out of timeouts, to fire off a desperation heave by sophomore guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) that missed its mark.
 
Davidson, who was called for the foul on Taylor, was a key factor for the Eagles, especially in the second half, where she racked up 11 of her 14 points while dishing out three of her game-high six assists.
 
Junior guard Ashley Johnson (Louisville, Kentucky) and senior center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) led USI with 16 points apiece, while sophomore guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) finished with 12. Eschweiler had a game-high nine rebounds, while junior guard Adrianna Stolicker had a game-high 21 points to lead the Timberwolves.
 
Final minutes
Sophomore guard Kennedy Williams (Marshall, Illinois) had a pair of steals, followed by transition layups on each occasion, in the final 90 seconds to help USI get to within a point. After a layup by Taylor increased Northwood's lead to 71-68, Davidson sank the three-pointer to tie the contest.
 
USI and Northwood went into the fourth quarter in a 56-56 stalemate, but the Timberwolves outscored USI 12-6 throughout the first seven minutes of the period to build a 68-62 advantage.
 
Early on
Struggling early, the Eagles used a 19-1 run to turn an 18-7 deficit into a seven-point lead early in the second period. DeHart had eight points during the run, while Johnson added five points.
 
New faces in starting lineup
Johnson and DeHart each got their first career starts for the Eagles Friday night, while Mikayla Rowan appeared in the starting lineup for the first time since starting 10 games as a freshman. Johnson ended the night with a career-high in the scoring column.
 
Season-openers
Friday's loss was the first season-opening loss for the Eagles since falling to Malone University, 75-65, to begin the 2014-15 campaign—USI advanced to the NCAA II Tournament that year. USI is now 24-20 all-time in season-openers and 14-6 under Head Coach Rick Stein.
 
Quotable
"The defensive end was the biggest problem for us tonight," Stein said. "We gave up 72 points and that's way too many, especially on the road, if we're going to have a chance to win."
 
Up next
USI returns to action Sunday at noon (CST) when it travels to University Center, Michigan, for a bout with Midwest Region foe Saginaw Valley State University. The Cardinals (0-1) suffered an 83-79 setback to visiting Bellarmine University Friday night.