 20th-ranked University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball battled hard before suffering a 79-65 set-back to top-ranked Bellarmine University Saturday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. USI goes to 9-4 overall and 1-4 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine is 12-0, 4-0 GLVC.
The Eagles were cold coming out of the gate, shooting one-of-six from the field as the Knights built the early 11-2 lead five minutes into the contest. USI, trailing 23-13, started to build some momentum when senior guard Joe Laravie began a 13-3 run with a bucket at 8:47.
USI senior guard/forward Kobe Caldwell, who made his first appearance of the season after recovering from an injury over the summer, capped off the 9-0 portion of the run with a three-point bomb from the top of the key for his first points of 2019-20. The Eagles would go on to tie the score, 26-26, at 4:26 of the first half after shooting four-of-six from field during the run.
The Knights caught fire before the end of the half and regained a 10-point advantage, 38-28, before the Eagles could cut the margin to 40-32 at the intermission.
The first 10 minutes of the second half belonged to the Eagles as they outscored the Knights, 23-15, to knot the game at 55-55 with 9:56 to play. USI shot 71.4 percent from the field (10-14) during the surge, while the Eagles’ defense held the Knights to 35.3 percent (6-17).
Bellarmine reclaimed the advantage for the final time on its next bucket and methodically extended the margin to 14 points twice, including the 79-65 final.
For the game, USI was led by the 14 points by junior guard Mateo Rivera. Junior forward Emmanuel Little and Laravie followed to round out the double-digit scorers with 12 points each.
USI hits the road next week for a trip to the west coast of the GLVC when it visits Rockhurst University Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and William Jewell College Saturday at 3 p.m.
Rockhurst saw its records go to 8-5 overall and 4-1 in the GLVC after winning a 68-54 decision at the University of Illinois Springfield this afternoon. William Jewell watched its marks to 6-7, 1-4 GLVC, following a loss at Lewis University, 76-51.
USI leads the all-time series versus Rockhurst, 18-2, after posting a 78-59 victory in Kansas City last January and leads the series on the road, 8-2. The Eagles also lead the series with William Jewell, 6-1, after defeating the Cardinals, 98-79, and holds the advantage in road games, 4-1.
