The GLVC Tournament ended abruptly for the second-seeded women’s basketball team, who had a first-round bye, after they lost in the quarterfinals against the University of Indianapolis 66-48 at the Ford Center on Friday.

USI led for a total of 48 seconds when the score was 2-0 after a basket by senior Hannah Wascher, who was named second-team All-GLVC earlier in the week. From there the game was completely one sided with the University of Indianapolis leading for the remaining 39 minutes.

At the end of the first quarter the score was 21-10, and in the second quarter alone USI was outscored 22-8 giving them a 43-18 halftime hole to try and dig out of during the next half.

USI was down by as many as 30 points midway through the third quarter before going on to outscore Indy 30-23 in the second half.

After the game, Wascher, who finished with 10 points, said she didn’t expect her last GLVC game to end the way this one did.

“We didn’t play like we know how to play,”Wascher said. “We didn’t play our basketball and do what we know how to do.”

Wascher said even though the team was down for nearly every minute of the game she never thought the game was out of reach.

“I know our capabilities are a lot better than Indy’s. I mean they played a hell of a game, I’ll give it to them.” Wascher said. “I just know our talent is a lot better than theirs. It takes us 2 seconds to get on a role and heat up, and it just didn’t happen.”

Junior Kaydie Grooms who lead USI in scoring with 12 points said she was disappointed with herself after the game and she felt like she let the seniors on the team down.

Grooms, who was also named to the second-team All-GLVC, said she felt her game was weak in the first half and she didn’t finish plays like she normally does.

“I was in my head, and that’s what’s most frustrating about it is that I know I can make free throws, but I was in my head, and I started missing them, and I got discouraged,” Grooms said.

Grooms finished 3-7 from the free throw line.

Head coach Rick Stein, who was named Chuck Mallander GLVC coach of the year prior to the game, said he thought the game was “a tale of two halves.”

“We gave up 43 points in the first half and an unbelievable shooting percentage and then in the second half we gave up 23, and because they scored less, we scored more, and I think that’s the way our team is built,” Stein said.

Stein said he told the team before the game they would need to limit Indy to under 60 points for them to have a chance.

He said he sees similarities in the way Indy plays to how his own team plays especially with the inside-outside attack and their level of physicality.

Stein said USI failed to do what the team does best against Indy which helped contribute to the loss.

“The bread and butter that we have brought every single night is defense and rebounding. We were minus 14 on the boards.” Stein said. “We were beat two, three times on the boards this year and I guarantee it hasn’t been double figures, and it certainly hasn’t been 14. Those are things that hurt you.”

He said if USI had guarded the entire game like how they guarded in the second half, the possibility of them winning the game would have been a lot higher.   

After losing the game, USI finishes the season with a 24-5 overall record.