West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois Women's Basketball team faced a challenging match against Southern Indiana, ultimately losing 76-70 in an Ohio Valley Conference game at Western Hall. The Leathernecks, now with a record of 12-12 and 6-9 in the OVC, fought hard to keep the game close despite trailing early.

In the first quarter, WIU fell behind 18-14 but managed to score 18 points in the second quarter, going into halftime down by six points at 38-32. The third quarter was their best offensive period, scoring 22 points and briefly taking the lead. However, they struggled in the final quarter, managing only 16 points while Southern Indiana scored 22 to secure their victory.

Raegan McCowan led WIU with an impressive performance, scoring 24 points and hitting four out of seven three-point attempts. She also made four free throws and played a crucial role during WIU's third-quarter comeback. Addi Brownfield added 16 points on six-of-17 shooting and contributed seven rebounds and four assists before fouling out late in the game. Mia Nicastro was effective inside with ten points, nine rebounds, and two assists.

WIU relied heavily on their three-point shooting throughout the game, making ten out of twenty-seven attempts from beyond the arc. Despite this effort, they struggled with ball control issues that resulted in thirteen turnovers compared to USI's eight. These turnovers were costly as Southern Indiana capitalized by scoring twelve points off WIU's mistakes.

Rebounding was closely contested; however, USI had a slight edge with forty-seven boards compared to WIU's forty. The Leathernecks grabbed twelve offensive rebounds leading to seven second-chance points but failed to consistently convert these opportunities.

A pivotal moment occurred late in the fourth quarter when Southern Indiana executed multiple defensive stops while effectively extending their lead offensively. Despite McCowan's efforts to rally her team back into contention during those final minutes, it wasn't enough for WIU.

This loss brings Western Illinois' season record back down even at .500 as they hold seventh place within conference standings (6-9). With five games remaining before entering tournament play within OVC competition ranks themselves accordingly against Morehead State next week where tip-off begins promptly scheduled time slot starting eleven o'clock AM sharp!

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