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University of Southern Indiana Athletics

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2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster

Elizabeth Courtney Randolph/USI
Elizabeth Courtney Randolph/USI
Elizabeth Courtney Randolph/USI
Preston Leinenbach, USI Athletic Communications
Preston Leinenbach, USI Athletic Communications
Preston Leinenbach, USI Athletic Communications
Preston Leinenbach, USI Athletic Communications
Preston Leinenbach, USI Athletic Communications
Peyton Stegeman, USI Athletic Communications
Peyton Stegeman, USI Athletic Communications

20 Vanessa Shafford

  • Position Guard
  • Height 5-9
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Linton, IN
  • Major Sports Management

Biography

2024-25: Earned All-OVC Second Team honors...one of two players to start all 36 games...averaged 31.4 minutes as a senior...second on the team and top 15 in the OVC with 12.1 points per game...paced the squad and top 10 in the OVC with 6.4 rebounds per contest...third on the team with 62 assists and 59 steals...shot 44 percent (161-366) overall and a team-best 39.2 percent (73-186) from three...73 made triples were a team high...shot 88.6 percent (39-44) from the charity stripe...broke a program career record for most three-pointers made on January 12 against Little Rock, surpassing the previous mark of 194...ended the season and career with 232 made three-pointers...also finished career in the top five for rebounding (779) and games played (124) in program history as well as top 10 in scoring (1,429)...scored double figures in 23 games, including four 20-point outings...also posted four double-doubles...reached 1,000 career points in the 100-49 season-opening win against Brescia (Ky.) on November 4...collected 24 points and career-high five steals in a 75-73 win against Northern Kentucky on November 23...averaged 13 points in USI's two wins at the Puerto Rico Clasico against Youngstown State on November 29 and against Le Moyne on November 30...dropped a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds at Tennessee Tech on January 2...picked up 16th career double-double with 10 points and 11 boards in a 72-58 victory against Western Illinois on January 18...scored 10 or more in seven consecutive games during OVC play...poured in another 24-point outing in USI's 67-56 win against Southeast Missouri on February 8...opened the OVC tournament with 20 points in USI's 90-66 first-round win against Tennessee State...grabbed seven or more rebounds in 19 games...named CSC Academic All-District...named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll...OVC Medal of Honor recipient.

2023-24: Earned All-OVC First Team honors...helped USI win the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships as a junior...started all 32 games...led USI in several categories, including points (13.6), rebounds (7.7), and minutes (30.0) per game...also had a team-best 46 steals...shot 45.6 percent (161-353) overall, 81 percent (47-58) at the free-throw line, and 38.3 percent (67-175) from three...67 made triples led USI...ranked first in the OVC in three-point percentage (40.2) in conference play...ranked top 10 in the OVC in overall scoring and rebounding...scored in double figures in 24 games during the season, reaching 20-plus points in five games...also recorded seven doubles-doubles...surpassed 150 career three-pointers made during the season...poured in 21 points with 14 rebounds in USI's 66-60 win against Northern Illinois on November 16...scored 10 or more points in 19 consecutive games between November 16 and February 8...named OVC co-Player of the Week on January 9 after averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 46 percent overall and 50 percent from long range in two games against Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech...dropped a career-high 26 points with six made three-pointers against Tennessee State on January 4 before notching a double-double of 16 points and a career-best 15 rebounds against Tennessee Tech on January 6...tallied 25 points and 10 boards in USI's 96-89 overtime win at Western Illinois on February 24...matched a career-high 26 points on March 2 against Southeast Missouri State...had 15 points with nine rebounds in the OVC Tournament championship win against the UT Martin on March 9....named CSC Academic All-District...named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

2022-23: Started all 29 games and led the team with 33.5 minutes played per game in her sophomore season...third on the team and no. 10 in the OVC with 13.0 points per game...led the squad and third in the OVC with 7.1 rebounds per contest...second on the team with 2.2 assists and tied a team-high 1.7 steals per outing...led USI with 50 steals and sixth in the OVC on the season...shot 44.2 percent (134-303) overall, which ranked 10th in the OVC...ranked first in the OVC and top-10 nationally in three-point percentage at 46.8 percent (66-141)...scored in double figures 22 times, including in 10 straight games between December 21 and January 26...had four 20-point outings...posted five double-doubles...registered her first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds on November 19 against Bowling Green State, while also going 5-5 from three...racked up a career-best 24 points on January 26 against Eastern Illinois...grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds on January 28 against UT Martin...surpassed 500 career points during the season...named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

2021-22: Earned GLVC All-Freshman Team honors as well as Academic All-GLVC laurels after playing in 27 games and making one start during her first year of collegiate basketball…averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game…shot 49.7 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from behind the arc…reached double-figures in the scoring column seven times, with a season-high 16 coming in USI’s 108-42 win over Kentucky Christian…pulled down a season-high seven rebounds in three different games and had a season-high seven assists in USI’s 92-59 GLVC Tournament win over Southwest Baptist…had a season-best three steals twice.

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Linton-Stockton High School where she was a IBCA Underclass Supreme 15 All-State honoree as a junior in 2019-20 as well as an IBCA Senior Supreme 15 All-State award winner as a senior in 2020-21...also was a first-team ICGSA All-State honoree during her senior year after averaging 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game...playing for former USI Men's Basketball player Jared Rehmel, Shafford paired up with fellow class and teammate Aubrey Burgess to lead LSHS to back-to back IHSAA Class 2A championships as a junior and senior...was an Indiana Senior All-Star in 2021 as well as an Indiana Junior All-Star in 2020...also was a four-time All-SWIAC performer...racked up 1,812 career points, 748 rebounds, 440 assists and 202 steals (steal totals don't include senior year) during her career...made 713 career field goals and entered senior season with 101 three-pointers, connecting on 37 percent of her shots from behind the arc as well as 75 percent of her free throw attempts.

PERSONAL: Daughter of Jason and Heather Shafford.
 

Career Highs through 2024-25 season
Points: 26 - Twice, last vs. Southeast Missouri (3/2/24)
Rebounds: 15 - vs. Tennessee Tech (1/6/24)
Assists: 7–vs. Southwest Baptist (3/3/22)
Steals: 5 - Twice, last vs. Northern Kentucky (11/23/24)
Blocks: 2 - Three times, last at Tennessee Tech (1/2/25)
 

Double-figures:
Scoring: 76
20-point outings: 13
Rebounding: 19
Double-Doubles: 16

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 20

    2021-2022Freshman

    Guard
    5'9"
    20
  • 20

    2022-2023Sophomore

    Guard
    5'9"
    20
  • 20

    2023-2024Junior

    Guard
    5'9"
    20
  • 20

    2024-2025Senior

    Guard
    5'9"
    20