Screaming Eagles outflown by Redhawks, 77-66
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball suffered a 77-66 setback at Southeast Missouri State University Thursday evening in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles are 6-9 overall and 1-4 in OVC action, while the Redhawks are 9-7, 4-1 OVC.
USI got the first bucket of the game for the 2-0 lead before the SEMO Redhawks flew out of an eight-point lead, 19-7, with 10:48 left in the opening half. The Eagles would battle back to knot the score at 20-20 when sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi threw down a dunk.
SEMO pushed the lead back to seven points, 31-24, with 3:58 remaining in the opening half, but USI closed the gap to 37-31 at the break. Olowoniyi and junior guard Damoni Harrison led the Eagles’ scorers with nine points each.
USI struggled to start the second half, going over three minutes before getting its first bucket of the half, while SEMO extended the margin to 10-points, 46-36, with 10:12 to play. The Eagles tried to rally, cutting the deficit to as few as two points (52-50) once and to a one-procession game three times, before the Redhawks pulled away for good in the 77-66 final.
Individually for USI in the scoring column, junior guard Sam Kodi led the Eagles with 15 points. Kodi, whose 15 points was one short of a season-high, was five-of-10 from the field and five-of-seven from the line.
Junior guard Braxton Jones followed with 13 points, while Olowoniyi posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Harrison rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.
Next Up For USI:
USI concludes the three-game OVC road swing Saturday when it visits the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. in the Jack Stephens Center.
The Trojans are 8-7 overall and 2-2 in the OVC after losing 59-53 to Morehead State University this afternoon in Little Rock. Little Rock, who has won five of the last eight games, had its matchup with Morehead State moved up to 1 p.m. this afternoon due to the winter storm rolling through the Midwest.
The series is tied 2-2 after Little Rock took both games in the series last season. The Trojans took the opening game of the home-and-home series, 77-75, at Liberty Arena and 80-62 in Little Rock.
All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
Following the road trip, USI returns home for a pair of OVC games at Liberty Arena. The Eagles are slated to host Lindenwood University January 16 and Western Illinois University January 18.
The January 18 USI-WIU matchup is Military Appreciation Day at Liberty Arena. Veterans and their guests will receive free tickets with proof of service (limit to five per veteran) on Military Appreciation Day, which is sponsored by the USI Student Veteran Association.
Tickets for the homestand and all USI home dates are on sale now at USIScreamingEagles.com.
