LAS VEGAS—University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball saw its seven-game win streak come to an end as the No. 23 Screaming Eagles suffered a 79-71 loss to No. 9/13 University of Tampa in their final game of the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic Sunday afternoon.
 
USI (8-2) found itself playing catchup during final three periods as the end of the first, second and third periods seemed to dampen the Eagles' efforts throughout the contest.
 
Tampa (12-2) trailed 17-15 with less than five seconds to play in the first quarter before a foul on a three-pointer gave the Spartans three free throws and an 18-17 lead. That momentum spilt over into the second period as USI saw the one-point deficit turn into a six-point hole less than a minute into the period.
 
USI cut the deficit to 27-26 with less than three minutes to play in the first half, but an 8-2 Tampa surge in the final two minutes of the second quarter sent USI into the locker room facing its first halftime deficit (35-28) of the season.
 
After USI's deficit increased to 13 points (43-30) four minutes into the second half, the Eagles got a three-pointer from junior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) as well as five straight points from fifth-year senior guard Ashley Hunter (Flossmoor, Illinois) to get back to within seven points.
 
USI's surge continued as fifth-year senior guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) wrapped a pair of free throws and a basket around a bucket by sophomore forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to get the Eagles to within two points at 46-44.
 
Following a basket by junior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio), which pulled USI to within 48-46, the Spartans responded with five straight points to take a seven-point lead (53-46) into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
 
USI trailed the Spartans 53-48 early in the fourth quarter following a quick basket by junior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri), but a 10-1 Tampa run that saw the Eagles go 0-for-9 from the field over the course of a six-minute stretch put USI in a 63-49 deficit with less than four minutes to play.
 
The Eagles' deficit extended to 15 points with less than three minutes to play before an 8-0 USI run gave the Eagles life with less than two minutes left on the clock. Tampa, however, scored the next six points to reestablish a double-digit deficit.
 
Blackwell, who had a career-high 22 points to lead the Eagles, hit two of her career-high six three-pointers in the final 14 seconds, but it was too-little, too-late as the clock ran out on USI's upset bid.
 
In addition to Blackwell, USI got 14 points from Haithcock in addition to 11 points from DeHart. Raley added eight points and a team-high six rebounds, while Hunter had seven points.
 
Senior guard Aliyah Abney had 23 points to lead Tampa, which was 23-of-29 from the free throw line as USI was whistled for 28 fouls. Junior guard Melijah Sullivan went 9-of-10 from the field and finished with 19 points, while sophomore guard Mya Giusto added 18 points for the Spartans, who shot 54.0 percent (27-50) from the field.
 
USI, which was outscored in the paint, 44-32, returns to Great Lakes Valley Conference play January 2 when it visits McKendree University for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.