EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball captured a gritty 70-59 Senior Night win over Southeast Missouri State University at Screaming Eagles Arena on Saturday night to conclude the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference regular season.
 
Saturday's victory was Southern Indiana's eighth win in a row, as the Screaming Eagles head into next week's OVC Championship Tournament and the semifinal round as the No. 1 seed with a 22-6 overall record and a 17-1 conference record. In extending its second-longest winning streak of the season, USI became only the fifth team in OVC history to reach at least 17 conference wins.
 
On Saturday evening, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) jumpstarted Southern Indiana's offense with three consecutive triples early in the first quarter. USI went on a 13-0 run while holding Southeast Missouri scoreless for over five minutes, producing a 13-3 lead for the Screaming Eagles. The Redhawks made a small push toward the end of the opening period, but USI maintained its 10-point lead, 20-10, going to the second quarter.
 
In the second period, both sides had some trouble finding quality chances against the defenses. However, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) found open spots for USI. Gannon scored multiple layups in the post, including a three-point play. Gannon's effort helped increase Southern Indiana's lead to 32-12 four minutes into the second frame. Scrappy play caused both offenses to stall in the late minutes of the first half, as USI took a 38-25 advantage into halftime.
 
Southern Indiana started the second half with a quick five points by Shafford that pushed USI's lead to 18, 43-25. Southeast Missouri responded by chipping away, cutting the Screaming Eagles' lead down to 11, 45-34, by the four-minute mark of the third quarter. Later in the third, Shafford drained her fifth three-pointer, but the Redhawks answered to stay within 11 points of USI. In the final seconds of the third quarter, senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) answered a SEMO three with a last-second layup to give Southern Indiana a 51-41 advantage through 30 minutes of action.
 
The slugfest continued into the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Each side had only one field goal in the first four minutes of the fourth. Gannon dropped a floater from the middle of the lane to give USI a 53-44 lead three and a half minutes into the period. Southern Indiana extended its lead back to double figures on Shafford's sixth trey, giving Shafford 20-plus points for the game. Following a series of exchanged baskets, Southeast Missouri came back to within eight points with under a minute remaining. Southern Indiana closed out the game at the foul line.
 
Southern Indiana was 20-41 for 49 percent from the floor with eight three-pointers. USI converted 22 of 30 free-throw attempts for 73 percent. Shafford ended the night tying her career high with 26 points on 8-11 shooting with six makes from three. Gannon totaled 16 points in the contest.
 
Southeast Missouri was held to 26 percent shooting (19-73) with eight triples. The Redhawks were 13-19 for 68 percent at the charity stripe. SEMO outrebounded USI 45-37, including 25 offensive rebounds for the Redhawks. Junior guard Jaliyah Green led three Redhawks in double digits scoring with 17 points.
 
Following Saturday's home win, USI Women's Basketball recognized senior guards Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) and Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) as well as team manager Mason Auker on Senior Night for their contributions and dedication to the program.
 
The Screaming Eagles turn their attention to the OVC Championship Tournament next week at Ford Center in downtown Evansville, Indiana. Southern Indiana will have to wait to find out its opponent following Thursday's action in the quarterfinals. The Screaming Eagles are on the top side of the bracket where the winner of No. 8 Tennessee State University and No. 5 Morehead State University in the first round will face No. 4 Eastern Illinois University in the quarterfinals with the winner from that matchup taking on USI.
 
All games from the OVC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+. 95.7 FM The Spin and 97.7 FM WREF will have radio coverage of USI contests. Tickets for the OVC Tournament are on sale through the USI Ticket Office online. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.