Screaming Eagles open OVC with dramatic 77-75 win
USI gets over .500 mark
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rallied in the final minute to post a 77-75 victory over Tennessee State University Thursday evening at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles are 6-5 overall and start OVC action 1-0, while the Tigers are 4-8, 0-1 OVC.
The victory moves the Eagles over the .500 mark for the first time this season and first time since the end of the 2022-23 regular season.
Neither team could gain control through the first few minutes of the opening half until the Eagles built a 29-19 lead with 8:09 remaining before halftime. USI junior guard Damoni Harrison led the offensive surge with 11 points during a 19-10 run. Harrison would finish the first half with a team-best 14 points.
TSU bounced back and erased the 10-point USI lead on a 13-2 dash to regain the lead, 34-32. The Tigers also would hit a three-pointer with no time remaining on the clock to close out the half with a 40-39 advantage.
The first four minutes of the game were tarnished when a hard foul caused a disturbance on the court that resulted in four technicals and a pair of ejections (TSU’s Antoine Lorick and USI’s junior guard Jared Washington) at 15:56.
The Eagles and Tigers traded the lead seven times in the first eight minutes of the second half until USI started to take control with a 55-54 advantage at 12:07. USI would increase the lead to as many as four points twice and would hold onto the lead for the next five minutes when TSU knotted the score at 61-61 for the third tie of the half.
Following a four-point lead, 65-61, by the Tigers, the Eagles rallied to tie, 65-65, with 4:01 left on a fast break layup by Harrison. The lead would continue to exchange hands seven times in the next three minutes until TSU took the lead, 75-74, with 45 seconds left.
After the Tigers missed the front end of a one-and-one trip to the line with eight seconds remaining, USI junior guard Jack Campion used a 10-foot jumper to put the Eagles in the lead for good, 76-75, with 1.9 remaining on the clock. Campion’s shot was from inside the key and almost identical to the game-winner he hit versus Bellarmine University just over a month ago.
TSU tried a long pass for another chance at the lead, but sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi intercepted and was fouled on the play with 1.7 left. Olowoniyi would close out the scoring with a free throw as USI sealed the 77-75 win.
Individually, Harrison led three Eagles in double-digits with 19 points. The junior guard was seven-of-15 from the field and a blistering five-of-eight from long range.
Olowoniyi followed with 18 points on seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-eight from the line, while junior guard Jayland Randall rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points.
Next Up For USI:
USI continues the homestand Saturday when the Eagles host the University of Tennessee at Martin in Liberty Arena. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. following the USI Women’s Basketball game with UTM which is scheduled for 1 p.m.
UTM is 4-8 overall and 0-1 in the OVC after opening conference play with a 70-69 overtime loss at Morehead State University tonight. The Skyhawks, who are 2-3 in their last five games, lead the all-time series with USI, 6-4, and took the only meeting last season, 77-68, in Martin, Tennessee.
The USI homestand concludes New Year’s Eve against Morehead State at 7:30 p.m. MSU Eagles, who are 5-6 overall and 1-0 OVC, are in the middle of a four-game home stand and will play TSU Saturday in OVC action before finishing non-conference play December 28 versus Alice Lloyd College.
