Briana Jones scored a career-high 21 points – including a 5-for-8 showing from 3-point range – and freshman Adrienne Horn added a career-high 17 points as No. 12 Drury rolled in the second half to a 70-56 victory over Southern Indiana in a rematch of last year's Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game Thursday night at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Jones – "Bri-Jo" to her friends, but now, perhaps more appropriately "Three-Jo," scored 16 of her 21 points after halftime, when she went 4-for-6 on 3-pointers, to help the Lady Panthers (17-3, 10-2 in the GLVC) to their seventh consecutive victory.
USI fell to 10-10 and 3-9 with its ninth straight loss.
"They're a good team … it's a little weird seeing that they ahd eight straight wins in a row then eight straight losses, but they're a good team with all the pieces to get it going again," Drury coach Molly Miller said.
"Any of our nine can step up, and today, it was Briana Jones and Adrienne Horn. We told BriJo if she's open, shoot it. And she did … that's just another weapon we can utilize."
Jones came into the game just 5 of 9 from 3-point range for the year before matching her season total for makes in one contest. That meant a combined 41 points and 21 rebounds from the Lady Panthers' inside combo of Jones (six boards), Hannah Dressler (eight rebounds) and Horn (seven boards).
Drury, which won its 21st consecutive game at The O', led 22-19 after one period before watching the Screaming Eagles knot the game at 34-all at the half. But with Jones and Horn heating up, the Lady Panthers outscored USI 22-11 in the third period to lead 56-45 entering the fourth quarter, and DU secured the win from there.
Annie Armstrong added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for Drury, which won despite shooting just 40 percent (23 of 58) from the field. But the Lady Panthers defense limited USI to 37 percent from the field (23 of 63), including 2 of 11 from 3-point range.
Jones, who also had a career-best four steals (with Addy Roller and Brook Duncan adding three each), hit 7 of 13 shots overall and Horn was 5-for-8 to pace the DU shooting efforts.
Tanner Marcum had 14 points and Kadie Grooms and Kacy Eschweiler added 12 points each for Southern Indiana.
The Lady Panthers are back at The O' on Saturday for a showdown with No. 25 Bellarmine in a 1 p.m. GLVC tipoff that's part of the fifth annual "Overflow The O'" game. Tickets are $5 each. Call (417) 873-6389 for tickets; kids 12-and-under always are free at The O'.
