Credit to: usiscreamingeagles.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returns to Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, for its final home game of the non-conference season Saturday when the Screaming Eagles host Oakland City University for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
Saturday’s contest can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.
To get into the holiday spirit, Saturday is Ugly Holiday Sweater Day. Come support the Screaming Eagles while wearing your ugliest holiday sweater.
Southern Indiana is 7-2 this season with a 4-0 mark at home. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a tightly contested battle at Indiana University on Wednesday, getting edged 67-63 by the Hoosiers. The road setback snapped a six-game winning streak for the Eagles. The Hoosiers were the second of three power-conference teams USI has on its non-conference schedule. USI concludes the non-conference slate on December 15 at the University of Illinois.
Against Indiana on Wednesday, USI got out to a slow start but responded well to tie the game at 17 by the end of the first quarter. Southern Indiana led for over 20 minutes in the middle of the contest, leading by as many as 15 late in the first half. The Hoosiers chipped away in the third quarter, making it a one-possession lead for USI heading to the fourth period. Indiana grabbed the lead with seven minutes remaining and held on in a nail-biting finish.
Junior guard Ali Saunders was Southern Indiana’s leading scorer against Indiana with 14 points. Sophomore guard Triniti Ralston and graduate forward Meredith Raley each had 10 points. After shooting above 50 percent for most of the game, USI ended up shooting slightly over 45 percent overall with eight made three-pointers. USI limited IU to just over 35 percent shooting from the floor and 30 percent from outside.
For the season, Saunders paces USI with 13.4 points per game. Saunders also leads the squad with 4.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and nearly 32 minutes played per game. Saunders is top 10 in the Ohio Valley Conference in each category. Senior guard Vanessa Shafford and Raley are second and third, respectively, in scoring at just under 12 points per contest.
As a team, Southern Indiana ranks second in the OVC with 74.6 points per game and first in scoring defense by holding the opposition to 57.2 points per game through nine games played. USI is also top two in the OVC both offensively and defensively in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage. The Eagles’ defensive effort in steals, forced turnovers, scoring defense, and shooting defense ranks among the top 50 in the nation.
Earlier this week, USI picked up its highest ranking yet in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25®, checking in at No. 18. It is USI’s third consecutive week in the top 20. Plus, the first NCAA NET ratings became available this week, which updates every day. Southern Indiana finds itself in the low 80s of the NET ratings, the highest among OVC teams and the only OVC team in the top 100.
Oakland City is 5-3 on the season with three wins in its last four games. Most recently, the Mighty Oaks opened up River States Conference play with a 99-41 victory over Indiana University Columbus on Wednesday. Six players finished scoring double figures for Oakland City.
Fifth-year senior guard Emilee Hope leads Oakland City with 18.8 points per game, shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. Three other players average 10-plus for the Mighty Oaks. Oakland City averages 79 points and allows 62.9 points per outing.
Oakland City is the third NAIA school USI has faced this season after the Screaming Eagles opened the 2024-25 campaign with a 100-49 win on November 4 against Brescia University (Ky.) and notching an 88-41 victory against Indiana University Southeast on November 15.
USI leads the all-time series against Oakland City, 27-11, including six straight wins against the Mighty Oaks. Southern Indiana defeated Oakland City last season, 86-38, at Liberty Arena. The series history goes back to 1975-1976 between the two schools.
Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.
