EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball tips off a USI Basketball doubleheader from Screaming Eagles Arena Sunday afternoon when the women's squad hosts Oakland City University at 1 p.m.
Sunday's matchup can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin.
USI (1-0) welcomes the Mighty Oaks (1-2) for the middle game of a three-game homestand to begin the 2023-24 season. Southern Indiana started the season and the homestand with a 67-63 victory on Monday against Wright State University.
After USI built a lead as big as 15 in the third quarter against the Raiders on Monday, Wright State came back to tie the game with minutes remaining. USI came out ahead in the final minute after a basket by senior forward
Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) and two late free throws. The Eagles shot nearly 45 percent overall, nearly 55 percent from three, and pulled down 45 rebounds.
On Monday, senior forward
Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) led the team with 13 points in her USI debut, scoring nine points after halftime toward her second career double-figure performance. She also had eight rebounds. Raley and junior guard
Takiya Howard (Chicago, Illinois) each had nine points. Junior guard
Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) scored eight points with a team-best nine rebounds. Redshirt senior guard
Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) had a nice return to USI's lineup after missing last season with an injury, recording six points. Freshman forward
Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) had a solid debut with six points and six boards. Eight USI players played 10 or more minutes and scored at least five points in a balanced scoring effort.
The Screaming Eagles' top returning scorers heading into 2023-24 were Raley and Shafford, who both averaged 13 points per outing last year. Shafford was the team's top rebounder with 7.1 rebounds per game last season, and she was the nation's fourth-best three-point shooter at a 46.8 clip. Both Raley and Shafford were 2023-24 Preseason All-OVC selections.
Oakland City is an NAIA program from just up the road north of Evansville. Last season, the Mighty Oaks went 22-10 overall and 14-4 in River States Conference play. Despite falling in the semifinals of the RSC Tournament, OCU earned bids into the NAIA National Tournament and the NCCAA National Tournament.
This year, the Mighty Oaks have received votes in the early season NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches Top 25 Rankings. OCU began its season with a narrow 81-77 loss at the University of Evansville on November 2. Recently, Oakland City won at Cumberland University, 68-49, on Friday before falling to Lindsey Wilson College, 75-61, on Saturday. Mighty Oaks senior forward Jalaya Dowell led OCU in Friday's win with 19 points and in Saturday's loss with 13 points.
Through three games, Dowell paces Oakland City at 13.3 points per game. She also has a team-best five rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest. Senior guard Marissa Austin is averaging 12 points in three games played, posting 15 points against Evansville and 13 points against Cumberland on Friday. Austin had a team-high 11 points in last year's meeting against USI. Senior guard Emilee Hope has registered nine points per game and leads the team with 3.7 assists per outing. She poured in 19 points against Evansville to open the season. Hope surpassed 1,000 career points last season.
USI leads the all-time series against OCU, 26-11. The Eagles defeated the Mighty Oaks 87-39 in last year's season-opening contest for the Screaming Eagles' first win as an NCAA Division I program. Southern Indiana had three players score double digits in that game, including 14 points from Raley and 12 from Shafford. USI has won five straight in the series, which dates back to 1975-76. Oakland City's last win in the series history was a six-point victory in the 1991-92 season.
On Sunday, Southern Indiana will be looking for another 2-0 start like last season when the Screaming Eagles captured consecutive home wins against Oakland City and Western Illinois University to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
