COLUMBIA, Mo. – In the first road test of the season for University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball, the Screaming Eagles took on the University of Missouri at Mizzou Arena Monday night, falling 96-62.
 
Following a 3-0 start to the 2023-24 season, the Screaming Eagles traveled to Columbia, Missouri to battle their first-ever opponent from the Southeastern Conference and the first of three Power-5 opponents on the non-conference schedule.
 
In the immediate minutes succeeding the opening tip, Southern Indiana generated some good looks on the offensive end. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) knocked down a mid-range jumper in the game's first possession to quickly get USI on the scoreboard. A minute later, redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) swished a second-chance three-pointer to put the Eagles ahead, 5-2. USI then scored back-to-back baskets by freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) and senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to take a 13-8 advantage at the 5:25 mark. The Screaming Eagles' early chances were created off defensive stops on the other end of the court. Before the end of the opening period, Missouri cranked up the offense to take a 22-15 lead into the second period.
 
The Tiger's offense stayed hot in the second 10 minutes, especially from beyond the arc. The Tigers jumped to a 32-16 margin two minutes into the second. USI responded in the middle of the quarter with a layup by senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) and another triple from Blackwell to make it a 14-point difference, 35-21. Missouri continued to cash in from three, hitting nine first-half threes, which led to a 51-27 halftime lead for the home squad.
 
Out of the intermission, Webb recorded consecutive buckets for USI in the first minute of the second half. As Missouri's lethal shooting from outside resumed in the third quarter, Shafford answered with a pair of threes for the Eagles in the middle of the period. Trailing 77-47 late in the third, Southern Indiana closed the third with a 7-0 run in the last two minutes to make it 77-54. Freshman guard Sophia Loden (Mascoutah, Illinois) tallied solid minutes and scored a triple in the latter portion of the third quarter. In the final play of the third, Ralston got a takeaway and went all the way to the hoop for the score, finishing off a 27-point third quarter for USI.
 
To close out the game in the fourth quarter, defenses were tough with shots from the floor hard to come by. Southern Indiana's defense held Missouri scoreless for four minutes in the middle of the fourth. With 3:33 left on the clock, junior forward Lauren Carie (Vincennes, Indiana) hit a jumper to make the score 86-62 Missouri. The Tigers ended the game on a 10-0 run.
 
For the game, Southern Indiana was 25-for-66 for 38 percent from the field, connecting on seven threes. Shafford paced the Screaming Eagles with 16 points, while Raley also registered double figures with 11 points. Webb and Blackwell had nine and eight points, respectively.
 
Missouri shot 51 percent (34-67) overall and 50 percent (16-32) from deep. The Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 49-31. Missouri had four players in double digits, including two over the 20-point plateau.
 
With Monday's result, Southern Indiana moved to 3-1 on the season and Missouri moved to 4-1.
 
The Screaming Eagles will take a break for Thanksgiving before returning to the road this weekend. Southern Indiana will head north on Sunday to face Purdue University at 1 p.m. CT in West Lafayette, Indiana. Sunday's game will be available on Big Ten Network Plus.