EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After a 3-0 homestand to begin the 2023-24 season, University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball hits the road for the first time when the Screaming Eagles visit the University of Missouri on Monday at 7 p.m.
Monday's game can be seen on SEC Network Plus through ESPN and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin.
The game at Mizzou (3-1) begins a two-game road swing for USI and will be the first of two against Power-5 conference opponents in the coming week. Following Monday's contest at Missouri of the Southeastern Conference, the Eagles will trek north next Sunday, November 26, to face Purdue University out of the Big Ten Conference. The matchup is also the first of three non-conference road games for Southern Indiana.
USI is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2020-21 season, which also happens to be the last season Southern Indiana began a season 4-0. The Screaming Eagles earned their third win of the season on Thursday with a 66-60 home run against Northern Illinois University. USI is the only unbeaten team in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Thursday's victory against the Huskies was a close, back-and-forth battle from beginning to end, featuring tough defense throughout. The game was tied at 60 with under two minutes to play. USI grabbed the lead for good on a clutch three-pointer by junior guard
Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) with 20 seconds left and iced the game at the foul line.
The Eagles shot 42 percent overall on Thursday, hitting seven threes, and won the rebounding battle, 39-37. Shafford led all scorers with 21 points, which was three off her career high, and matched a career-best 14 rebounds toward her sixth career double-double. Redshirt senior guard
Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) scored 14 points, while senior forward
Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) had 10 points.
Shafford's scoring performance on Thursday was her 30
th career double-figure game and fifth outing in a USI uniform scoring 20 or more. The rebounding effort was her eighth career double-digit game on the glass. Plus, the 21 points and 14 rebounds against NIU was also Shafford's third career double-double of tallying at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. In 2022-23, Shafford posted 21 points and 11 rebounds twice, achieving the feat against Bowling Green State University and Tennessee Tech University last season.
Through three games, Shafford paces the squad with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals per game. Her 12 points per contest are just ahead of Blackwell's 11 points and Webb's 10.7 points per game average.
Missouri is off to a 3-1 start this season with all three wins coming in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers' only blemish so far is a 93-85 loss at Saint Louis University on November 12. Missouri opened the season with back-to-back home wins against Belmont University and Indiana State University.
Most recently, Missouri defeated the University of North Alabama, 83-72, last Tuesday. The Tigers outscored the Lions 23-12 in the first quarter, and that 11-point difference held the rest of the way. Missouri graduate forward and All-SEC honoree Hayley Frank had a game-high 29 points. The Tigers had two players post double-doubles. Sophomore guard Ashton Judd registered 10 points and 12 rebounds, and senior guard Mama Dembele collected 12 points with 10 steals.
On the season, the Tigers are averaging 84.5 points on 48.7 percent shooting. Plus, Missouri is shooting over 39 percent from three and has posted 44.5 rebounds and 18 assists per game. Mizzou has five players averaging double figures. Judd tops the squad at 18 points and 7.5 boards per contest. Second in scoring is freshman guard Grace Slaughter with 15.3 points. Right behind her is Frank at 14.8 points and Dembele with 11 points per outing. Dembele also leads the team with 7.8 assists and 4.5 takeaways per game.
Monday will be the first all-time meeting between Southern Indiana and Missouri.
