EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament on Saturday, it was announced that University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball senior guard Ali Saunders was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team.
 
Saunders was selected to the OVC All-Tournament Team for the second time in her career. Saunders was also an OVC All-Tournament Team honoree in 2023-24 following USI's run to the OVC Tournament championship title.
 
The senior earned this year's selection after posting 39 points and 19.5 points per game on nearly 45 percent shooting overall (13-29) and nearly 67 percent from three-point range (10-15) while also averaging six rebounds and 10 assists across USI's two games at the OVC Tournament.
 
Saunders began the week with an all-around game of nine points, eight rebounds, and six assists in USI's quarterfinal win on Thursday against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The senior guard followed an all-time performance in Friday's semifinal game against Lindenwood University, pouring in 30 points with seven three-pointers made and dishing out a career-high 14 assists. Between the 30 points scored and 14 assists in the double-double effort, Saunders ended up being involved and impacting 59 of USI's 79 total points in Friday's semifinal game.
 
The 30-point outing on Friday was Saunders' third 30-point game this season, and for the second time against Lindenwood, making Saunders the first Screaming Eagle with at least three 30-point games in a season since Jessica Stuckman during the 2001-02 campaign. The seven made triples were the most in a game for USI since Vanessa Shafford made seven at Western Illinois University on February 24, 2004.
 
The 14 assists were the most for USI since Saunders recorded 11 assists and nearly had a triple-double in the Screaming Eagles' OVC Tournament semifinal win against Eastern Illinois University en route to eventually winning the 2023-24 OVC Tournament Championship title. Plus, the guard tied the program's single-game assists record on Friday, matching Adrienne Seitz's 14 assists against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on February 9, 1999.
 
As a team, USI won 72-44 in Thursday's quarterfinal against SIUE after earning a first-round bye as the third seed. USI was eliminated in a historic classic in the semifinals against Lindenwood, 82-79.
 
With her performance at the OVC Tournament, Saunders stands at 1,469 overall points and 494 overall assists in her collegiate career. In three years at USI, Saunders has scored 1,147 points and recorded 413 assists. The Depauw, Indiana, native is top 20 on USI's all-time scoring list and second on USI's career assists list.
 
2026 OVC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Mia Nicastro, Western Illinois
Mallory Shetley, Western Illinois (MVP)
Aleshia Jones, Lindenwood
Ellie Brueggemann, Lindenwood
Ali Saunders, Southern Indiana