EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball concludes its non-conference schedule Friday at 1 p.m. against Brescia University (KY) from Screaming Eagles Arena.
In the spirit of the holiday season, fans are encouraged to bring five canned goods or non-perishable food items to donate to the food drive with the Evansville-Tristate Food Bank. Fans who donate will receive a complimentary signed USI Women's Basketball poster.
Friday's contest can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin.
The Screaming Eagles (4-5) conclude their three-game homestand and non-conference season against the Brescia Bearcats. With a win, USI will finish the out-of-conference slate with a .500 record.
The Eagles have split their first two games of the current homestand, winning 72-51 against Eastern Michigan University on December 9 before narrowly losing to Big 12 Conference University of Cincinnati on Sunday, 58-56. Cincinnati was the first-ever Power Five team to make a visit and play inside Screaming Eagles Arena.
Last time out against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Southern Indiana fell behind early in a low-scoring contest, trailing 34-22 at halftime. USI climbed back with an 11-0 run in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game down the stretch. The Eagles took a lead, 52-50, midway in the fourth period. However, Cincinnati regained the lead in the final minutes, forcing USI to take a last-second shot that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
Statistically, USI outshot Cincinnati in field goal, three-point, and free-throw percentage. Southern Indiana also had a season-low 10 turnovers while forcing the Bearcats into 14 turnovers and getting 12 steals. Individually, junior guard
Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) led the Eagles with 15 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward
Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) scored a career-best 13 points off the bench, the most points by a USI freshman since Shafford scored 15 points against Rockhurst University in February 2022.
On the season, Shafford paces the Screaming Eagles with 14.1 points and 7.4 boards per game. Shafford also leads the squad with 1.7 steals and 27.7 minutes per outing. Senior forwards
Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) and
Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) are next in scoring at just above nine points per contest. USI averages 65.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting with 38.3 rebounds as a team this season.
Brescia (4-7), an NAIA school out of the River States Conference, has dropped five straight games with the last win coming back on November 17. Most recently, the Bearcats fell 67-48 at Indiana East University last Saturday. Senior forward Lindsey Peyton, who leads the team this season at 14.7 points per game, tallied 11 points and nine rebounds against Indiana East. Senior guard Paige Vanzant was the team's top scorer against Indiana East with 14 points. Brescia averages 55.6 points on 40.5 percent shooting this season while claiming 38.9 rebounds per game.
USI and Brescia are meeting up for the seventh time in the series history with the all-time series tied at 3-3. Southern Indiana has won three straight in the series, which dates to the 1989-90 season. Last season, USI protected its home court against Brescia with a 90-48 victory. The Eagles had five players in double figures, including Shafford and Raley who combined for 22 points. Peyton led Brescia in last year's meeting with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Following Friday's matchup and a short holiday break, the Screaming Eagles will prepare to open the Ohio Valley Conference season next week on the road at Southeast Missouri State University and Lindenwood University.
