EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball tipped off the Ohio Valley Conference season Thursday night with a 74-56 victory over Tennessee State University at Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles.
 
Four Screaming Eagles scored in double figures to lead Southern Indiana to a 1-0 start in conference action and 9-3 overall. Tennessee State dropped to 4-7 this season and 0-1 in the OVC.
 
USI, who was beginning its OVC title defense as reigning 2023-24 champions, faced Tennessee State for the first time since the Tigers gave the Eagles their only conference blemish last February during USI's championship run a season ago.
 
A competitive start to the ballgame featured pressure defense for the full 94 feet from Southern Indiana and Tennessee State. The first quarter had six ties as each side exchanged blows. USI grabbed an early advantage on the glass, especially on the offensive boards. Sophomore guard Triniti Ralston recorded the Screaming Eagles' first make from the floor on a three-pointer and junior guard Ali Saunders cashed in on a three in the last 30 seconds of the opening period to give USI a one-point, 16-15 lead through 10 minutes of play.
 
Tennessee State tallied five straight points to begin the second frame before Southern Indiana jumped ahead 26-21 with a 10-1 run over three and a half minutes. A couple of inside conversions by sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan and five more points by Ralston helped spur the USI run. Saunders reached double figures for the game after a triple and a jumper in consecutive possessions put Southern Indiana up 31-25 with four minutes left in the first half. The Eagles led by as many as 10, 36-26, inside the final minute, but one last basket by the Tigers made it an eight-point USI lead at halftime.
 
A pair of three-point plays from graduate forwards Meredith Raley and Madi Webb in the first 2:30 of the second half increased Southern Indiana's advantage to a dozen, 42-30. A strong showing at the foul line by Buchanan in the third quarter pushed the sophomore into double digits and helped extend the lead to 14. A late make from Raley gave the forward double figures also, as the Eagles led 54-39 after three quarters.
 
Southern Indiana's lead continued to build, reaching a 20-point difference at the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter. Ralston became the fourth Eagle to reach double figures after a pair of made free throws with 3:30 left in the contest, as the Screaming Eagles led 67-48. A gritty Tennesee State squad drained a couple of threes late in the game to chip away, but Southern Indiana sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
Southern Indiana was just under 37 percent (22-60) from the floor with six made threes. The Eagles were frequent visitors at the foul line, hitting 24 of 28 attempts for over 85 percent. USI dominated on the glass, 52-34. The 52 rebounds were a season high.
 
Individually, Saunders registered a team-high 19 points on 6-8 shooting, 3-3 from beyond the arc, and a 4-4 effort at the free-throw line. Saunders also had eight boards, three assists, and four steals. Buchanan notched a season-high 15 points on a 3-6 night from the floor and a 9-10 performance at the charity stripe. Raley dropped 13 points while Ralston added 11 points.
 
For Raley, she moved to eighth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,341 career points following Thursday's performance, passing Amie Newhart (2007-11). Shelly Scott (1987-92) is seventh on the list with 1,414 points. Raley is also approaching the top 10 in USI history for rebounding, sitting 12^th with 557 career rebounds and 32 caroms away from Elizabeth Prewett (1997-01) in 10^th.
 
Tennessee State was limited to under 32 percent (19-60) shooting after USI kept the Tigers to only two second-half points in the paint. The Tigers were 7-31 for 22.6 percent from three and 11-21 for 52.4 percent at the free-throw line. Two Tigers scored double digits, led by freshman guard Somah Kamara's game-high 21 points.
 
The Screaming Eagles continue the OVC homestand from Liberty Arena Saturday at 1 p.m. against the University of Tennessee at Martin. The game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM.
 
Saturday is Education Day for all kindergarten through eighth-grade students receiving free student admission to the doubleheader. Adults and guests with students can attend the game for $5. The first 100 kids will receive a free book sponsored by Young and Established, along with a free hot dog from the concession stand.
 
Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.