EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball bounced back at home on Homecoming Night, completing the season sweep over Southeast Missouri State University, 67-56.
 
USI concludes the three-game homestand at 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the OVC. SEMO falls to 4-19 overall and 2-12 in OVC play. The Screaming Eagles remain in fifth place, behind Tennessee Tech University (12-2), Lindenwood University (12-2), Eastern Illinois University (11-3), and University of Arkansas at Little Rock (10-4)
 
The Eagles fed graduate forward Meredith Raley early and often scoring the first six points on a perfect three-for-three shooting. Raley's offensive momentum carried into defense, firing up the USI faithful with an emphatic block.
 
After the first media timeout, USI continued to overwhelm the Redhawks with defensive pressure, holding SEMO to seven points in the first quarter, leading 12-7. USI dominated the boards with a nine-rebound advantage.  
 
The USI offense caught fire early in the second quarter, going on a 9-3 run with seven points from senior Vanessa Shafford, forcing a Redhawk timeout only 2:58 into the second quarter. Shafford's hot shooting continued to haunt the Redhawks as the senior scored 13 of the teams 18 second quarter points. 
 
The Eagle headed into the locker room leading 30-20. Both Shafford and Raley cracked double-digit points in the first half. Shafford totaled a game-high 13, while Raley finished with ten as each took over their own quarter. USI dominated the boards, 26-14, as ten were produced on the offensive end leading to eight second-chance points.
 
The Redhawks made an early push in the second half, closing the gap to seven before a strong Eagles retaliation sent the lead back to 12. Shafford remained on fire, converting an isolation three from the elbow.  However, SEMO refused to go away, pulling within ten points on multiple short offensive runs. The Eagles failed to let the runs escalate, matching the Redhawks spurts.
 
USI closed out the third quarter on an explosive 8-1 run, extending the lead to 48-34. After three quarters, USI led the rebound battle 34-25 resulting in 12 second-chance points compared to the Redhawks two.
 
The offensive barrage continued as the USI squashed any Redhawks comeback attempts. Every SEMO basket was followed by a USI return shot, as sophomore Sophia Loden hit a midrange jumper, while Shafford drilled another three to maintain a 14-point lead before the media timeout.
 
Late in the fourth quarter, USI hit an offense cold patch as the team went over two minutes without scoring, allowing a seven-point SEMO run. The lead dwindled to six points with 34 seconds remaining in the game before junior Ali Saunders iced the game with a pair of free throws. 
 
As a team, USI shot an impressive 40.8 percent from the field while holding SEMO to just 32.3 percent. The rebound battle was decisively in the Eagle's favor, 44-34, leading to 14 second-chance points. USI finished 20-49 from the floor, 5-18 from beyond the arc, and 16-20 from the charity strike. Shafford led the way in scoring with 24 points, while Raley trailed behind with 15. Shafford barely missed a double-double, leading the squad with nine rebounds.
 
SEMO went 21-65 shooting overall and 7-21 from three. The Redhawks were led by guard Lexi McCully, tallying a massive 30-point game with five three pointers. Forward Ainaya Williams totaled ten rebounds before fouling out.
 
The Screaming Eagles return to the road for next Thursday, traveling to Western Illinois University for the second leg with the Leathernecks at 5 p.m. Next, USI heads south to compete on national television against Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri on ESPNU on Saturday for a 11 a.m. contest. Both games can also be heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Stay tuned for additional updates by following @USIAthletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X.