 University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball struggled early, but was able to grind out an 85-64 victory over Shaw University in the opening game of the Bellarmine Classic Friday evening in Louisville, Kentucky. USI sees its record go to 7-2 overall, 2-1 on a neutral courts, while Shaw falls to 1-7.
The Screaming Eagles struggled through the first 20 minutes, but had a halftime advantage of 30-29. USI shot just 27.3 percent from the field (9-33), including 31.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-16), and mustered a pair of seven-point leads during the first half. Senior forwardShane Seniour (Newburgh, Indiana) hit a pair of long range field goals and led the team in the opening half with six points.
In the second half, USI began to take command and pull away from Shaw as senior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) took control of the game. Edwards scored 10 points in a run that propelled the Eagles to their first 16-point lead, 56-40 with 12:44 left. USI also hit nine of its first 14 shots in the second half as it asserted command of the contest.
The Bears, however, were not about to led the Eagles run away with the victory. Shaw would cut the USI advantage to seven points twice with under 10 minutes to play. Edwards would stop the Shaw run with his 11th and 12th points of the half on a bucket, giving the momentum back to the Eagles.
The Eagles were finally able to shake the Bears in the final seven minutes as junior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) and freshman guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) provided the firepower the final 23-9 run to victory. Drummond posted eight of his 14 second half points down the stretch, while Stein also dropped in eight of his 12 second stanza points in the final minutes.
As a team in the 85-64 win, USI shot 36.9 percent (24-65) from the field, 37.5 percent from long range (9-24), and 80 percent from the line (28-35). The Eagles also outrebounded the Bears, 54-42.
Indivdually, Edwards and Stein led the Eagles with 17 points each, while Drummond and senior guard Travis Britt (Rantoul, Illinois) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 points and 12 points, respectively. Seniour, who finished the game with the six first half points, grabbed a game-high and season-high 12 rebounds.
USI concludes action in the Bellarmine Classic Saturday at 4 p.m. (CST) against St. Catharine College. St. Catharine begins this weekend’s action with a 3-8 mark and plays 23rd-ranked Bellarmine University in tonight’s second game in Louisville.
FOOT NOTE: Following this weekend’s action in Louisville, USI returns to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center for a pair of games around the holidays. The Eagles host Spalding University December 19 at 1 p.m. and Purdue University North Central December 30 at 7 p.m. before restarting Great Lakes Valley Conference action in the new year.
