ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball had four players in double-digits and overwhelmed Lindenwood University defensively in posting a 70-56 victory this evening in St. Charles, Missouri. USI goes to 12-4 overall and 7-3 in the GLVC, while Lindenwood is 9-11 overall, 5-7 in the league.
The Screaming Eagles also complete a 3-0 road trip and held the three opponents to 62.3 points per contest.
The Eagles trailed early before going off on a blistering 23-4 run over an 11:39 time span. USI was paced during the run by junior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and sophomore guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) with six points each, while the Eagles’ defense held the Lions to two-of-15 from the field.
USI led by as many as 15 points (28-13) during the first half and went into the locker room with a 33-24 advantage after Lindenwood finished the half on a 7-2 spurt.
The Eagles used the first five minutes of the second half to extend the margin to 19 points, 49-30, with a 16-5 run. Junior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) and freshman guard Isaiah Stafford (Bolingbrook, Illinois) combined for all of the 16 points during the run with nine points and seven points, respectively.
The Lions, however, were not ready to concede the contest and outscored the Eagles, 18-10 over the next seven minutes to cut the USI advantage to nine points, 59-50, with 7:42 left. USI bounced back to push the lead back to 14 points, 66-52, with a quick 7-2 run.
The final four minutes would see the Eagles and the Lions score four points each as USI cruised to a 70-56 final. USI has held the opponents to less than 60 points in seven of its 12 victories this season.
Individually, Henry led four players in double-digits with 18 points. The sophomore guard, who averaged 17.7 points per game during the road trip, was five-of-13 from the field, a blistering four-of-seven from long range, and four-of-four from the line.
Simmons followed with 17 points on six-of-14 from the field, tying Henry with four three-point bombs. Polakovich and Stafford rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
Polakovich also completed his eighth double-double of the year with a career-high 19 rebounds. The 19 rebounds included 15 on the defensive end of the floor.
As a team, USI dominated with a 49-32 rebound edge and held a 32-26 advantage on the defensive glass. The Eagles also held the opposition under 40 percent from the field (38.6 percent (22-57) tonight) for the ninth time this season.
