CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Ali Saunders scored 26 points and dished eight assists to lead Southern Indiana to a 72-63 victory over Eastern Illinois in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Lantz Arena. The Screaming Eagles improved to 19-8 overall after building a 15-point halftime lead. Chloe Gannon added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Southern Indiana. The Panthers, who fell to 4-25, were led by Sydney-James Desroches and Tiny Lewis, who each scored 17 points. Southern Indiana dominated inside, outscoring Eastern Illinois 42-22 in the paint before an announced crowd of 889.

CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — A dominant first quarter set the tone, and a career-high scoring performance from Ali Saunders provided the finishing touches as Southern Indiana pulled away from Eastern Illinois for a 72-63 victory in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Lantz Arena. The Screaming Eagles (19-8, 11-3 OVC) seized control immediately, opening the game on a 15-0 run before the Panthers managed their first points. Southern Indiana shot a blistering 11 of 18 from the field in the opening period, forcing four Eastern Illinois turnovers and blocking two shots to build a 28-13 lead. That early cushion proved critical as the Panthers (4-25, 2-12) spent the rest of the afternoon trying, and ultimately failing, to claw back within a single possession. Saunders, a junior guard from Depauw, Indiana, was the engine for Southern Indiana, scoring 26 points and dishing out eight assists. She was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, hitting five three-pointers, many of which came to halt Eastern Illinois rallies. Her backcourt partner, Chloe Gannon of Manchester, Tennessee, delivered a formidable all-around performance with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, anchoring the Screaming Eagles’ defense. The Panthers, despite their record, showed resilience. They outscored Southern Indiana 19-11 in the second quarter, fueled by the guard tandem of Sydney-James Desroches and Tiny Lewis, who each finished with 17 points. A Lewis three-pointer with 4:11 left in the third quarter capped a 10-2 Eastern Illinois run and cut the deficit to 42-39, marking the closest the game had been since the opening tip. That sequence represented the most important juncture of the contest. With their commanding lead nearly evaporated, the Screaming Eagles turned again to Saunders. On the ensuing possession, she drained a three-pointer off an assist from Gannon to push the lead back to six. After a defensive stop, Saunders found Amiyah Buchanan for a layup. Following another Panthers turnover, Saunders connected with Lexi Sepulveda for a driving score, capping a 7-0 response that restored a double-digit advantage and effectively ended the threat. Southern Indiana’s interior presence was decisive. The Screaming Eagles outscored Eastern Illinois 42-22 in the paint and outrebounded them 45-36, with 12 offensive boards leading to 13 second-chance points. Sophia Loden contributed 10 points and seven rebounds for the visitors. While Eastern Illinois struggled from the field, shooting just 35.5%, they kept within striking distance by converting 12 of 13 free throw attempts and scoring 17 points off 12 Southern Indiana turnovers. Clara Glad added nine points and five rebounds for the Panthers. The win keeps Southern Indiana in strong contention near the top of the OVC standings as the regular season enters its final stretch. The Screaming Eagles have won three of their last four. Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, has now lost four consecutive games. Southern Indiana next travels to face Morehead State on Tuesday. Eastern Illinois will hit the road for a game at Lindenwood on Thursday. The game was played before an announced crowd of 889.

CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — A surging Southern Indiana squad looks to rebound from a rare stumble when it visits struggling Eastern Illinois in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball matchup Saturday at Lantz Arena. The Screaming Eagles (18-8) enter with the conference’s second-best overall record but are coming off a 64-39 road loss to Western Illinois on Thursday, their lowest scoring output of the season. Prior to that defeat, they had won three straight and six of their last eight. Eastern Illinois (4-24) seeks any positive momentum, having lost five consecutive games and 16 of its last 17. The Panthers fell 74-70 to Morehead State on Thursday, a narrow defeat in a season filled with blowouts. Southern Indiana won the first meeting this season handily, 73-57 at home on Jan. 22. A key to reversing that result for the Panthers will be containing Screaming Eagles’ guard Chloe Gannon. The standout has scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 13.9 points per contest in that span. She posted 11 points in the January win over Eastern Illinois. The Panthers will counter with guard Ava Stoller, who is coming off a 20-point, 4-assist performance against Morehead State. She has been a bright spot, scoring 16 or more points in three of her last six games. Southern Indiana’s defense, which allows just 60.2 points per game, will be tested by a Panthers’ offense averaging a league-worst 56.5 points. Conversely, the Screaming Eagles average 69.3 points offensively and will face an Eastern Illinois defense allowing a conference-high 75.8 points per game. The game is a critical opportunity for Southern Indiana to solidify its conference standing before a road trip to Morehead State next Tuesday. For Eastern Illinois, it represents a chance to play spoiler and find a rare conference victory at home in the season’s final stretch. Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon.