money USI women's basketball takes control of No. 1 seed in GLVC; USI men suffer tough loss
ST. LOUIS, Missouri — With the postseason just days away, each game becomes more magnified. Both in terms of conference tournament seeding and potential NCAA regional opportunities.
It's safe to say that Thursday's road win for the USI women's basketball team was important.
The Screaming Eagles defeated the University of Missouri-St. Louis 68-58. UMSL entered Thursday's game as the No. 1 seeded team in the GLVC rankings, sixth in the region rankings and 25th in the country (WBCA Coaches Poll). Now, there's a new No. 1.
USI (21-4, 15-2 GLVC) trailed by as many as nine points in the second half and didn't even hold a lead until an Emma DeHart bucket early in the third quarter. But with the game on the line, the Screaming Eagles stepped up the most.
It was a one-possession game with 2:40 to play. Then, USI made bucket after bucket. A layup from Meredith Raley. A stepback jumper from Ashlynn Brown. A three-point dagger from Addy Blackwell.
They outscored the Tritons 21-12 in the fourth and 41-27 overall in the second half. Raley (17 points), Brown (12 points), DeHart (11 points) and Hannah Haithcock (11 points) were all in double figures.
USI officially took over the No. 1 seed in the GLVC points system following the win. A victory over Lindenwood on Saturday would clinch the highest seed and a first round bye in next week's conference tournament.
USI men drop road contest to UMSL
The USI men's basketball team suffered a tough loss with a 76-68 loss to the Tritons. The Screaming Eagles fall to 16-7 on the season and 11-6 in GLVC play.
After falling behind by as many as eight points early, USI rallied late in the first half for some momentum going to the break. A 3-pointer from Jelani Simmons gave them a 32-31 lead going into halftime.
But they couldn't sustain the advantage. It took UMSL less than 10 minutes into the second half to stretch that lead back to nine. While they briefly got it back to a one-possession game a couple of times, that was the closest the Screaming Eagles would get to the lead the rest of the way.
Jacob Polakovich notched another monster double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Tyler Henry made some big shots late and finished with 16 points but it wasn't enough. Isaiah Swope (11 points) was the other player to finish in double figures.
With the loss, USI falls to No. 5 in the GLVC points rating system. This loss also hurts their chances at an NCAA regional appearance. They'll likely need to win at least a couple games in the GLVC Tournament and receive some help from other teams.
Contact Courier & Press sports reporter Hendrix Magley via email at hendrix.magley@courierpress.com or via Twitter @TweetsOfHendrix.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: USI women take control of No. 1 seed in GLVC; men suffer tough loss
