Eagles rally for big win over Wildcats

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University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball used a 14-3 run in the final five minutes to defeat Northern Michigan University, 74-69, during the first day of action in the Bellarmine Classic Tuesday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky. The Screaming Eagles go to 6-2 overall, while Northern Michigan is 8-2 on the season.

The first half scoreboard swung back-and-forth between USI and Northern Michigan with 10 lead changes and six ties. The Eagles posted the largest lead of the opening half when senior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) hit a shot inside the arc for a 34-28, six-point USI lead with 36 remaining before the intermission.

USI closed out the half when sophomore guard Mateo Rivera (Indianapolis, Indiana) stole the ball to send the Eagles into the locker room with the 34-28 advantage. Senior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) and sophomore forward Josh Price (Indianapolis, Indiana) paced the Eagles in the opening half with nine points and six points, respectively.

Stein, Price, and sophomore forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) led the Eagles’ first half 23-19 rebound advantage with four boards each.

The Wildcats busted out of the locker room after halftime, scoring nine-straight, to regain the lead, 37-34, before two minutes were gone in the second half. The lead would once again bounce back-and-forth for the next 10 minutes until Northern Michigan went on an 11-2 run to get its largest lead of the game, 66-58, 5:14 left in the contest. The Wildcats would match their eight point lead, 68-60, before the Eagles started their rally.

USI closed the gap in the final five minutes with the winning 14-3 run, scoring 12 of the final 13 points of the contest. Little gave the Eagles the lead for good, 70-69, on a lay-up with 45 ticks left on the clock before he and Rivera hit four-straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to close out the victory.

Little and Stein led USI during the 14-3 run with six points each as the Eagles were four-of-five from the field and six-of-six from the line in the final five minutes.

In the classic NCAA Division II Midwest Region showdown, the game featured a total of 22 lead changes and 17 ties. USI shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-56), one-of-nine from beyond the arc, and 73.1 percent from the line (19-26). The Eagles also won the battle on the glass, 43-29.

Little led three Eagles in double-digits with a season-high 20 points and completed his first double-double of the season with game-high 11 rebounds. Stein followed with 19 points, while Price rounded out the double-digits scorers with 12 points. Price also tied a season-high for the second game in a row with nine rebounds.
The Eagles finish action in the Bellarmine Classic Wednesday at noon (CST) when they take on 12th-ranked Barry University. Game coverage information for USI in the Bellarmine Classic can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.

Barry holds a 7-1 record as it enters tonight’s action with top-ranked Bellarmine.