This season has been an excellent one for the USI Women’s Basketball team, continuing to demonstrate the excellence of Head Coach Rick Stein and the coaching staff as well. 

As of Jan. 14, the team sits in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference, with a record of 5-1, just one game behind Western Illinois University, whom they have a chance to play twice over the next month. The Western Illinois University Women’s Basketball team is in first place in scoring margin, at +13.50 points per game. 

Offensively, The Screaming Eagles rank fourth in the conference in points per game, at 66.5. Additionally, they get to the line at a considerable rate, averaging 21.7 free throw attempts per contest, which is second in the Ohio Valley Conference. 

The USI Women’s Basketball team’s historic defensive identity has remained a constant once again this season, boasting a number one ranking in defense and holding opponents to just 53 points per contest in conference play. In fact, they are 15th in the entire nation in that stat (54 oppg overall).

Ali Saunders has taken the reins of the offense, leading the team in scoring at 19.7 ppg, on 38.1%, while grabbing 2.5 steals per game, and dishing out 3.7 assists as well. She has also been crafty at getting to the line, where she takes 6.2 free throws per game, hitting an outrageous 97.3% from the charity stripe. 

By her side are Chloe Gannon, junior forward/center, and Sophia Loden, junior guard/forward, who are averaging 10.7 and 9.7 ppg, respectively. Both also average more than seven rebounds and at least one steal per contest as well. 

For advanced defensive stats, Gannon ranks 6th in the OVC in defensive win shares at 1.2, while Loden ranks second in the entire conference at 1.4. (Defensive win shares are the estimated amount of wins produced by a player only because of their defensive play.) 

Channah Gannon, freshman forward/center, has made a significant impact in conference play, averaging 8.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 17.5 minutes per game. Channah seems to be following in her sister’s footsteps, as Chloe also made a major impact in her freshman season back in 2024. 

Amiyah Buchanan, junior forward, continues to be a defensive anchor for the team, ranking 7th in blocks per game in the OVC with .9 blocks per contest. She is also fourth in the conference in defensive ranking, at 77.6 points allowed per 100 possessions. Buchanan has also worked hard rebounding, ranking 10th in total offensive rebounds at 33 and 16th in rebounds per game at 4.9. Buchanan and Gannon remain one of the conference’s most formidable low-post duos. 

Shannon Blacher, junior guard, and Maddy Fay, junior forward, have fit seamlessly into this team, all thanks to Coach Stein and the coaching staff, who recruited the two in the offseason. Blacher has been a consistent starter in the frontcourt this season alongside Saunders. In conference play, Blacher has averaged 4.7 ppg, but her defensive play has been a true tour de force. She ranks first in the conference in steals per game at 2.9, first in defensive win shares at 1.4, and first in defensive rating at 71.9 points per 100 possessions. Truly remarkable. 

In conference play, Fay has averaged 3.3 ppg and two rebounds per contest in 13.8 mpg. She has been a consistent contributor off the bench and doesn’t make many mistakes, especially in terms of turnovers and offensive fouls. 

Lily Graves, freshman guard/forward, and Lexi Sepulveda, sophomore guard, have rounded out the team’s bench rotation well, both averaging over two points per game. Graves has been a solid shooter in her first season, hitting from beyond the arc at a clip of 36.4%, which is third best on the team. 

While it is still early in conference play, the trends that have emerged this season have definitely shown signs of promise. Based upon what I’ve seen, I would not be going out on a limb to say that this team could compete for hardware this season. The team has only had one trip up in conference play, that game being against Lindenwood University on Jan. 3, 2026, where they lost by a score of 75-65. The team had a rough shooting performance in the second half of that game, shooting 31% during those periods of play. 

The team has bounced back from that game very well, winning the last two games against Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Tennessee-Martin, by a combined score of 40. The mark of a great team is how they bounce back from adversity. No further questions, your honor. 

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference and OVCSports.com.