The women’s basketball team has been selected to play in the 2026 Women’s National Invitational Tournament. This marks the third consecutive year the Screaming Eagles will participate in the tournament, having debuted in 2024. In 2024, Southern Indiana won their first WNIT game, defeating the University of Illinois Chicago, but ultimately fell to a strong University of Wisconsin-Madison team. The following year, the Screaming Eagles defeated Campbell University, which launched them into the Super 16 round, where they lost to the University at Buffalo.
This year’s squad made it to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, where they fell in a close defeat to the No. 2-ranked team
Lindenwood University by a score of 82-79.
In the first round, Southern Indiana comfortably defeated Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 72-44. That game featured a true team performance, as four players scored in double figures: Shannon Blacher, junior guard; Sophia Loden, junior guard/forward; Chloe Gannon, junior forward/center; and Channah Gannon, freshman forward/center. No player scored more than 15 points or played more than 33 minutes, which allowed the bench to get considerable playing time in a high-pressure game.
In the semifinals, Ali Saunders, senior guard, left it all on the court in that game, where she dropped 30 points and 14 assists. She also caught fire from deep, hitting seven three-pointers. Chloe Gannon, junior forward/center and Channah Gannon, freshman forward/center, combined for 33 points in support. However, the Screaming Eagles still fell, despite an admirable performance.
As for the WNIT tournament, the Screaming Eagles received a first-round bye and will play the winner of either The George Washington University or Bradley University. The game takes place Thursday, March 19, at 6 p.m at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
This appearance in the WNIT tournament represents yet another opportunity for national publicity, which is becoming an annual occurrence for the women’s basketball program.
This opportunity must be credited to Head Coach Rick Stein, the coaching staff, and most importantly, the players. The two-way relationship that has taken place this season demonstrates the mutual buy-in that the players have made for the betterment of the team.
The national publicity also provides a message to potential recruits: Win consistently, no matter the circumstances. Despite considerable roster losses, the team won 20-plus games this season, marking the third consecutive season the team has achieved the feat. They played a strong, gritty brand of basketball, which they will once again have an opportunity to demonstrate on a national stage this season.
Until then, fans can only hope that the Screaming Eagles will play at least one more game at Liberty Arena before the dawn of the 2025-2026 season.