The USI women’s basketball team won the Ohio Valley Conference women’s championship Saturday, punching their ticket into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament postseason and adding another opportunity to bring more hardware to the Screaming Eagles Arena.

Rick Stein, head coach of women’s basketball, welcomed this new challenge, as the Screaming Eagles had played 18 games in conference play against nine OVC competitors, finishing with a stunning 17-1 record in conference play. They continued this dominance in the OVC Tournament, beating Eastern Illinois University and the University of Tennessee at Martin by margins of over 15 to get the chip.

Stein said following the tournament, the team was primarily focused on maintaining conditioning and the great habits that made them successful during the regular season and the tournament.

Regarding the opponent, the University of Illinois Chicago, who USI would be facing in the first round, Stein said, “When we find out, then we’ll get the scouting in, and we’ll take care of that business.”

Most coaches tighten their rotation in the latter part of the regular season and postseason if they are successful enough to reach that period. However, Stein was able to trust eight players in his rotation, as veteran reserve Tori Handley, graduate guard, brought leadership and consistent, stable play off the bench.

Handley was aided by two key freshman players, forward/guard Chloe Gannon and guard Triniti Ralston, who brought the same level of play as the starters and, in some cases, even elevated play.

In the tournament, Gannon averaged 14.5 points per game, five rebounds and a block per contest in 25.5 minutes per game.

Stein said Gannon has been one of the team’s most consistent players since the start of the conference season.

“She shows up every night, gets things done on both ends of the court,” he said.

Ralston was a key player in the championship-winning matchup against UT Martin, scoring 14 points off the bench and hitting four three-pointers to help close out the opponent. Stein said his trust with both players evolved over the season, much as it had for the others on the team. He said he was proud of them for their excellent play down the stretch.

In regards to the rest of the team, Vanessa Shafford, junior guard, Madi Webb, senior forward/center, and Meredith Raley, senior forward, were in excellent form, a continuation from the regular season. Addy Blackwell, redshirt senior guard, had a solid game closing out UT Martin, contributing nine points and six rebounds in that matchup. Ali Saunders, sophomore guard, played the role of a three-point sharpshooter, hitting four three-pointers during the tournament while nearly having a triple-double in the Eagles’ first game against Eastern Illinois (10 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds).

Raley said one of the biggest factors in the team’s success was when the players convened in June 2023 to establish a hard-working mentality and buy into the team’s goals.

“We had seven returning players, six newcomers,” Stein said. “How does that mesh, how does that group come together and how long does it take? This group was in tune right away, and they were close right away.”

By July and August, the team wasn’t split between veterans and newcomers, but instead was one collective unit. Obviously, it’s never a guarantee that a team will mesh and unite so quickly and effectively, which Stein and the rest of the coaching staff must be applauded for.

Stein said the team’s captains are “awesome” and credited the leadership of Shafford, Handley, Blackwell and Raley.

“Their leadership was great, and this bunch really came together fast,” he said.

Handley, a veteran guard, shared a similar sentiment about training over the summer of 2023. “When we first came in, we had a huge meeting,” Handley said. “It’s pretty long, but we go over what our goals are, what we expect of the team, instilling discipline in everybody. And I think everybody just bought into that. We had a lot of freshmen come in, and they were really true about being part of this team and actually having an effect on our team.”

By the early scrimmages in October, Stein determined that he believed the team would accomplish great things, and during the preseason, the pieces of the puzzle began to come together and synthesize.

However, a big question remained: Did Stein believe the team would go 17-1, running away with the regular season title?

“Probably not,” Stein said.

Would the team roll through the tournament, winning the OVC Tournament Championship by big margins?

“Probably not,” Stein said.

“But at the same time, I thought we had a team that could be in those positions, to beat everybody in the league, to have a chance to compete for the league championship, and then certainly compete for our conference championship,” Stein said. “I don’t think our team had any other sights other than ‘Hey, when we get to the OVC, we’re going to be ready for it. We’re going to be ready to go.’ And obviously, we were.”

This championship marks the first major Division I trophy the university has brought home to the Screaming Eagles Arena.

“To do this in our second year in Division I means so much, but it’s not just for the players,” Stein said. “It’s not just for our basketball program, but I think for the athletics department, for this university, for this community. It’s a big deal, and I hope that this success continues to breed success.”