The 25th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team lost in the final five seconds, 70-67, to the 24th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday afternoon in Somers, Wisconsin. USI, which went 0-3 on the road trip, watched its record go to 13-6 overall and 5-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while UW-Parkside rose to 15-2, 8-1 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles got off to a fast start, hitting six of their first eight shots and led 12-7 at the 16:05 mark. The final 16 minutes of the opening half would be a back-and-forth affair as the lead would change hands 16 times in addition to five ties, ending with the Rangers in the lead, 39-38.
Junior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) led the way for the Eagles, depositing 16 first half points on six-of-10 from the field, two-of-four from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana), who hit his first four shots, and senior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) followed with eight points each.
The Rangers stayed with the Eagles in the opening 20 minutes by hitting eight of its 13 first half field goals from long range. UW-Parkside shot a blistering 61.9 percent from the field (13-21) and 72.7 percent from three-point range (8-11).
In the second half, USI burst out of the locker room to race out to a nine-point advantage, 50-41, on a 12-2 run with 15:52 left in the game. The Eagles would match its largest lead of the game once more, 55-46, before the Rangers started a rally.
UW-Parkside retook the lead, 60-59, on a 14-4 run at 4:24 remaining, but USI took back the lead with a three-pointer by Drummond, 62-60, with 4:04 left. The Rangers regained the lead for the final time with four seconds left on an old-fashioned three-point play, following four lead changes and three ties in the last three minutes.
USI had a rough day on offense, shooting only 36.6 percent from the field (26-71) and 27.8 percent (5-18) from beyond the three-point arc. The Eagles missed 20 shots inside the lane during the contest and struggled heavily from the field in the second half, shooting 30.8 percent (12-39).
On a positive note, the Eagles regained their form on the glass and outrebounded the Rangers, 40-35. USI also was able to grab 20 offensive boards as a team.
Individually, USI was led by Drummond’s 22 points. The junior guard, who has scored 20-or-more points in three of the last five games, was eight-of-16 from the field, three-of-six from beyond the arc, and three-of-four from the line.
Stein was the only other USI player to reach double-digits, scoring 11 points. The freshman guard has reached double-digits in 15 of his 19 games this season.
The Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center next week when they host the University of Indianapolis Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saint Joseph’s College Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Saturday’s USI-Saint Joseph’s match-up will be the fourth-annual Hoops for the Troops game and the Suites & Sneakers game for the Eagles.
