EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball hits the road for the first time in the 2022-23 season Tuesday when the Screaming Eagles take on Northern Illinois University at 11 a.m. from the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois. The contest can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+.
The game can also be heard on 95.7FM The Spin (
http://957thespin.com).
It's been a historic start to the 2022-23 season for USI, the program's first season as an NCAA Division I program. Last Monday, USI earned an 87-39 win against Oakland City for the first win as a Division I program, and then USI followed up that win with the first win as a Division I program against another D-I school in the 88-75 victory Friday against Western Illinois.
Southern Indiana is off to a 2-0 start for the fourth time in the last seven seasons. The other 2-0 starts during that span were in the shortened 2020-21 season, the 2017-18 season, and the 2016-17 season. USI won the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division in each of those three seasons. In the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, USI won at least 24 games in each season. Southern Indiana's 175 points through two games are also the most since the 2016-17 season.
Sophomore guard
Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) and senior forward
Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) had notable performances in the first two games.
Shafford combined for 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and six steals while shooting 11-17 (.647) overall and 4-6 (.667) from three. She had 12 first-half points in each contest, helping the Screaming Eagles to solid starts in both contests.
Haithcock totaled 38 points, five assists, three blocks, and shot 16-26 (.615). She scored 20 second-half points against Western Illinois on her way to 22 points for the game, tying her career best for the fourth time in her career. Her 12 fourth-quarter points and 20 second-half tallies against Western Illinois were more than any USI player scored in a quarter and half, respectively, in the entire 2021-22 season. Friday's performance also marked the 50
th time Haithcock reached double figures and the fifth time scoring 20 or more in her career.
Junior forward
Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) has provided quite the boost off the bench in the first two outings. Raley scored 14 and 18 points against Oakland City and Western Illinois, respectively. She has combined to shoot 10-for-19 from the field, 9-11 at the free throw line, and pulled down eight rebounds through two games.
Northern Illinois is off to a 1-1 start through the first week of the 2022-23 season. The Huskies suffered an 88-48 loss to #9 Notre Dame to begin the season before bouncing back for an 86-79 home win against DePaul. The win against DePaul was Northern Illinois' first against the Blue Demons since 1994. Senior guard Chelby Koker led the Huskies with 24 points, six assists, and three steals in the win. Four of her nine made shots came from beyond the arc. Senior forward A'jah Davis added 20 points and five rebounds. Northern Illinois shot 52.5 percent (32-61) from the field and 50 percent (13-26) from three. The Huskies were outrebounded 40-29 in the contest.
Koker and graduate guard Janae Poisson lead the Huskies in scoring through two games at 15 points per game. Koker's seven assists and four steals also top the team in the early going, while Davis leads in rebounding at 6.5 boards per contest. The Huskies had a 14-15 record in the 2021-22 season.
Tuesday is the first meeting of all time between the two schools.
The Screaming Eagles will return home after the quick road trip to Northern Illinois, as USI will be back at Screaming Eagles Arena next Saturday at 1 p.m. for a tilt against Bowling Green State University.
