The forecast on Monday, March 25 called for light rain through the evening with the possibility of heavy showers. Not out of the ordinary for a spring night in southern Indiana, but it didn’t stop more than 3,000 USI basketball fans from packing into the Screaming Eagles Arena for the highly anticipated match-up between the Screaming Eagles Women’s Basketball team against Big 10 foe Wisconsin.
It was the second round of the WNIT, a women's national college basketball tournament independent of the NCAA that operates a preseason and postseason version played annually. USI was appearing in the second round for the first time, after clinching a win in the team’s first-ever national post-season appearance in the Division I era just four days before on Thursday, March 21 against University of Illinois Chicago.
Though USI was unable to defeat Wisconsin, the team played with heart, keeping the loss at only a 5-point difference and commanding the majority of play in both halves.
By the end of the night, the 67-62 loss was hard, but the team and USI fans left with an immense sense of pride—after all, the team wasn’t expected to do what they had accomplished. In just the second year of the University’s transition to Division I, USI Women’s Basketball had won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship, the OVC Tournament Championship, automatically qualified for the WNIT and nearly beat a Big 10 team in the second round.
USI’s exit from the WNIT may have marked the end of the 2023-24 season, but it is also a prelude of things to come from USI.
Look back at some of the most exciting moments from this season and 2024 tournaments!
USI vs. UIC — WNIT Round One
Freshman guard Triniti Ralston posted a game-high and career-high 25 points against UIC in the first round of the WNIT. She also grabbed four steals. Her work on the court propelled USI throughout the game.
Freshman forward Chloe Gannon continued to step up for USI during the WNIT post-season run. Her 58.4 shooting percentage in OVC play ranked at the top of the league in 2023-24.
Junior guard Vanessa Shafford followed up a strong 2022-23 season this year with versatility offensively and defensively. She paced USI in scoring, rebounding and steals per game. Offensively, Shafford ranked eighth in scoring in the OVC and third in field goal percentage.
Before the Wisconsin game, senior forward Meredith Raley scored 10-plus in 17 of the last 21 games she has played, including four 20-point outings. During the season, she tallied a game-high 18 points on January 20 to reach a career milestone of 1,000 points, becoming the 21st USI Women’s Basketball player to reach the mark.
“Our Women’s Basketball team had a season we will never forget. First OVC Championships (regular season and tournament) for any team in the Division I era, first national postseason win in the Division I era and the list goes on and on. They truly energized our athletic department and the entire campus. They have worked so hard to achieve these accomplishments and have proven to our entire department that we can compete at the Division I level. Most importantly, they have achieved these accomplishments with grace, dignity, joy and discipline. It was a fun run!” — Jon Mark Hall, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics
USI vs. University of Wisconsin — WNIT Round Two
The attendance at the home game against Wisconsin set a new Screaming Eagles Arena record for a Women's Basketball game. The previous high was 2,000+ this season against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during Homecoming.
USI's first-ever appearance in the OVC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament also brought the top-two largest crowds in OVC Women's Basketball Tournament history since the postseason championship moved to Evansville’s Ford Center in 2018.
Senior forward Madi Webb was stellar in USI’s frontcourt this season, which was evidenced with a career night on January 18 when she posted career highs with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Webb is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and second in field goal percentage at 51.6 percent. She also ranked among the top two of the OVC with a 54.3 field goal percentage in league play.
“Our USI Women’s Basketball team created a lifetime of memories for themselves and for our University community. I would like to thank the coaches and the entire team for setting a standard of excellence. Thank you for executing discipline, courage, resiliency, teamwork and brilliance on the hardwood. You showed us what the best game below the rim looks like every time you stepped on the court. Thank you for an AMAZING season! We can’t wait until next fall.” — USI President Dr. Ronald S. Rochon
Sophomore guard Ali Saunders began the first 13 games this season as a pivotal player coming off USI’s bench. Since joining the starting lineup, she has become one of the team's top-five consistent scorers, averaging nearly 10 points per contest. Overall, Saunders was top 10 and top three in the OVC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, respectively. In league play, Saunders was second in assists and first in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“To win an OVC regular season or tournament championship is a major accomplishment for any team, but to win both championships in one season in such a strong fashion is an outstanding feat. The fact the program is only in year two of the membership transitioning process makes the accomplishment even more remarkable. The future is certainly bright for USI Women’s Basketball.” — Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner
Graduate guard Tori Handley earned a new career-high 16 points in a USI uniform on December 1. The new career-best surpassed her previous mark of 15 that she set during her freshman campaign at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It was also Handley’s first double-digit game of the season and only her fifth such game at USI.
“It is hard to put into words how proud I am of this group of young women. We first met as a team on June 4 last summer and it was surprising and exciting to see how quickly we started to come together. This crew bought into our team culture and put the team before themselves right away. We set out to compete for championships and certainly wanted to be at the Ford Center in March with a chance to cut down nets. The OVC regular season championship, OVC tournament championship, the WNIT bid and first round win are all amazing accomplishments, and will be remembered forever! However, it is the entire journey with these amazing players and coaches that I will remember every day! So blessed to be able to share in so many great memories with these outstanding young women, families, fans and the entire USI Community! Thanks so much to everyone who supported USI Women’s Basketball all year long!” — Women's Basketball Head Coach Rick Stein
“What (USI Women’s Basketball has) accomplished is nothing short of incredible. You have made your school proud, you have made this city proud and you have put the NCAA on notice. Watch out for the USI Screaming Eagles because they are coming!” — Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry