EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball scored 48 second-half points at Liberty Arena on Thursday night to soar past Tennessee State University, 81-55, in USI's annual Play4Kay pink game.
 
In what was a tight, physical game on Thursday night, the Screaming Eagles (17-7, 11-4 OVC) utilized a strong second-half surge to pull away from the Tigers (4-20, 3-12 OVC) and pick up a second straight Ohio Valley Conference victory. USI outscored Tennessee State 48-27 in the second half after a 33-28 first half.
 
With Thursday's triumph to kick off the final regular-season homestand for the Screaming Eagles, USI kept pace in the OVC standings by remaining tied for second place alongside Lindenwood University and a game and a half back of first-place Western Illinois University going into Saturday's slate.
 
The Screaming Eagles had four players score in double figures on Thursday. Senior guard Ali Saunders led the way with a game-high 19 points while adding four rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Junior forward Chloe Gannon tallied 16 points with seven boards, and junior guard Sophia Loden recorded 15 points in the contest. Junior forward Amiyah Buchanan posted her second consecutive double-double and third of the season with 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.
 
Collectively, USI shot just over 38 percent (27-70) from the floor and nearly 38 percent (7-17) from beyond the arc. The Eagles went 21-31 for over 67 percent at the free-throw line. The Screaming Eagles outrebounded the Tigers 53-32, coming up just shy of a season high. 26 of USI's 53 boards came on the offensive glass, setting a new season-high mark. USI also notched 31 second-chance points and 26 points off turnovers.
 
Tennessee State, which had only two double-digit scorers on Thursday, shot 35 percent (19-54) overall and was held to seven percent (1-14) from three-point range. The Tigers were 16-20 for 80 percent at the foul line.
 
USI jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the blink of an eye on Thursday, forcing Tennessee State to take a quick timeout 1:15 into the contest. Loden scored five of USI's first seven points. Despite the Eagles' fast start, the Tigers battled back to take a one-point lead just past the four-minute mark. After Tennessee State led by five, 17-12, with just over a minute left in the opening quarter, back-to-back baskets by Chloe Gannon and Buchanan made it a one-point contest, 17-16, going to the second quarter.
 
The tight battle continued into the second period, with both teams matching at the free-throw line. USI led by four, 25-21, at the midway point of the second. Not long after, Chloe Gannon made it a six-point Screaming Eagles lead while hitting the 10-point mark in the first half. A great hustle play to keep a USI possession alive led to a wide-open bucket by Buchanan inside the final minute of the first half, giving the Screaming Eagles a 33-28 advantage heading into halftime.
 
During the first few minutes of the second half, the Tigers erased USI's five-point lead and grabbed a 37-35 lead to force USI into a timeout just over three minutes into the third quarter. Late in the quarter, USI seized momentum with a run that featured eight points by Loden and a three-point play from freshman forward Channah Gannon to catapult the Screaming Eagles ahead, 51-41. USI ended up leading by a dozen, 55-43, through 30 minutes of action.
 
The Screaming Eagles added on to their lead in the fourth, as a bucket by Saunders and a couple of baskets by Chloe Gannon pushed USI's lead to 14, 63-49, with under six minutes to play. Saunders earned a three-point play and then drained a three-pointer near the four-minute mark of the fourth period to essentially ice the game, as USI went up by 19 following a 13-0 run in the late minutes of the fourth quarter.
 
USI Women's Basketball concludes the regular-season home schedule on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Tennessee Tech University. Saturday's game will air nationally on ESPNU and can be heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM.
 
Saturday's contest is Senior Day, as USI Women's Basketball will recognize senior guard Ali Saunders and Sarang West. Fans are also encouraged to wear red and help red out Liberty Arena for the nationally televised game on ESPNU.
 
Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.