SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Senior guard Ashley Johnson scored 16 points in the final 11 minutes of the game to lead University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball to a 69-61 come-from-behind Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over host University of Illinois Springfield Thursday evening.

Johnson, who had just two points in the first 29 minutes of the contest, finished with a game-high 18 points, six assists and five steals as the Screaming Eagles rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Prairie Stars for the 18th consecutive time.

USI found itself in a 34-24 deficit moments into the second half after suffering through a dismal first half that saw the Eagles shoot just 29.7 percent (11-37) from the field and 0-of-9 from long range.

The Eagles (17-6, 13-4 GLVC), however, slowly chipped away the Stars' lead, trimming it to 43-40 following a three-pointer by sophomore forward Ashlynn Brown late in the third period.

USI trailed 45-40 with just over a minute to play in the third when Johnson connected on a three-pointer, one of three for the Eagles in the period. The three-pointer was all the doctor ordered to kick-start Johnson, who literally dominated the contest for the final 11 minutes.

Johnson followed the trifecta with a steal and a transition layup to tie the score at 45; then had a steal and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to give USI a 47-45 edge heading into the final frame.

USI led 49-47 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter when Johnson connected on a jumper to put USI up by four. She nailed back-to-back free throws with just under eight minutes to play to extend the Eagles' advantage to 53-47; and hit a shot with just under five minutes to play to give USI a 59-53 edge.

Johnson's bucket with just over three minutes to play gave USI an insurmountable 63-54 lead.

Early in the contest, it was senior guard Kiara Moses and junior guard Emma DeHart keeping the Eagles' afloat. Moses scored eight of her 11 points in the first 20 minutes, while racking up all of her four steals in the first half. DeHart had six of her 11 points in the first half before scoring the remainder of her points in the third period.

Freshman forwards Tara Robbe and Hannah Haithcock each finished with eight points, while Haithcock, who was held scoreless in the first half, finished with seven rebounds. Brown had seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Jasmine Sangster led the Stars with 16 points, while senior center Katelyn Rosner finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Illinois Springfield used a 12-0 run to end the first half with a 32-24 halftime advantage.

USI, which has won a season-high six straight games, returns to Screaming Eagles Arena Saturday at 1:05 p.m. as it hosts Lewis University for its annual Play4Kay game—fans are encouraged to join the Eagles in pink for Saturday's game. The Flyers (16-9, 13-4 GLVC) are coming off a 71-62 home win over McKendree University Thursday evening in Romeoville, Illinois.

*Note: The Eagles have now overcome double-digit deficits in four of their games this year and have won three games when trailing by 10-or-more points in the second half this season...Saturday's game against Lewis is the NCAA Division II Showcase game, which will be aired on the GLVC Sports Network and numerous NCAA Division II social media platforms.