The University of Southern Indiana women held off UW-Parkside in the closing minutes of the game to win 72-66.
Up by as much as 18 at the half the Lady Eagles overcame a late charge by the Parkside women that pulled them within three in the final minutes.
“It was a gut check; we knew they were going to come back. It was a battle of who wanted it,” said Senior Ellen Young
Although the eagles had a great offense their defense and their “bigs” on the inside allowed them to achieve this. The first ten minutes the ladies shot 70 percent and the first half around 45.
“Really our bigs were able to get the ball to our shooters on the outside and get us some points,” said Senior Amie Newhart.
Head Coach Rick Stein said the women played with great composure the last 6-7 minutes when the lead was closed down. Amie Newhart made a series of free throws with 30 seconds remaining that would seal the deal for the eagles.
“At that point you just have to not worry about anything else and sink the shots,” said Newhart.
This is a great team and us beating them is a big deal. They are ranked 4th in the region. Hopefully this will help us get noticed a little. We get a lot of confidence from this win said Newhart.
The USI women now take to the road for a series of games and won’t play at home again until Feb 19 against Northern Kentucky University. Their first game will be against Rockhurst on Feb 3.
