Credit to: usiscreamingeagles.com
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball visits San Juan, Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving break to compete in the 2024 Puerto Rico Clasico, organized by Puerto Rico College Sports Tours.
Puerto Rico College Sports Tours brings college sports teams to Puerto Rico for exciting tournament and game competitions, providing unique opportunities for collegiate teams and fans to enjoy the thrill of competition in Puerto Rico along with the tropical splendor and enchantments of a beautiful Caribbean destination.
Southern Indiana (5-1) will take on Youngstown State University (4-2) Friday at 10 a.m. CT from Juan Cruz Abrea Coliseum in Manati, Puerto Rico. On Saturday, USI will square off against Le Moyne College (0-5) at 9:30 a.m. CT from Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. USI will be meeting both teams for the first time ever. Both games can be heard through The Spin 95.7 FM and are available for purchase to watch via livestream at puertoricocollegesportstours.com.
The Screaming Eagles are making their first trip outside the continental U.S. since jumping to Division I, but USI is familiar with playing in overseas MTE competitions. Southern Indiana is returning to Puerto Rico for the first time since 2016-17 when the Eagles came away with two victories. USI has also previously traveled to Nassau, Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. USI is 7-1 in its previous overseas MTE contests.
https://usiscreamingeagles.com/documents/2024/11/28/20241128_WBB_Notes_Puerto_Rico.pdf
Southern Indiana enters the Puerto Rico Clasico on a four-game winning streak, including three consecutive home wins at Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, last week. USI is off to its best start in a season since making the jump to Division I in 2022.
Last time out, Southern Indiana won a thriller against former Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Northern Kentucky University, 75-73. The Screaming Eagles led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before the Norse chipped away and stormed back to make it a one-possession game in the final two minutes. USI held on down to the final seconds, not allowing Northern Kentucky to tie or take the lead in the final stretch of the game.
Against Northern Kentucky, senior guard Vanessa Shafford led all scorers with 24 points, two off her career high. The effort was Shafford’s fourth double-digit performance of the season, and the senior was the first Screaming Eagles to drop 20-plus points in a game this season. Junior guard Ali Saunders posted 15 points and graduate forward Meredith Raley tallied 10 points.
On the season, Raley paces USI with 13.3 points per game. Raley has scored 10-plus in each game this season. Saunders is second on the team in scoring at 13 points per outing. Saunders leads the team with 4.7 assists, 3.7 steals, and over 32 minutes played per contest.
The Screaming Eagles have been pesky against their opponents defensively this season. Across Division I, USI ranks top 20 in the nation with 14 steals per game and top 35 with over 23 forced turnovers per contest. The Eagles are holding opponents to just over 60 points per outing and below 28 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Youngstown State began the season with four consecutive wins before dropping its last two contests against Bucknell University and Xavier University. The Penguins fell 61-43 at Xavier on Tuesday before catching their flight to Puerto Rico.
Senior guard Jewel Watkins and graduate guard Malia Magestro top Youngstown State in scoring with 14.8 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Watkins was right at her average with 14 points against the Musketeers on Tuesday. The Penguins average 61.2 points per outing on just over 37 percent shooting.
https://usiscreamingeagles.com/gameday/womens-basketball-vs-youngstown-state-university/wbball/1052/
Le Moyne, who is also in the reclassification process to Division I, is still searching for its first victory through five games played. The Dolphins have a difficult road so far with matchups against Stanford University, Illinois State University, and at ranked University of Illinois. Le Moyne fell 94-25 on November 18 in that last game out against Illinois, who USI will visit on December 15.
Graduate forward Haedyn Roberts is the leading scorer for the Dolphins at nearly 10 and a half points per contest. Le Moyne averages 43.4 points per game on 29 percent shooting this season.
The Puerto Rico Clasico is part of a three-game stretch away from home for Southern Indiana. Coverage information and links can be found on the USI Women’s Basketball page at usiscreamingeagles.com.
