USI falls at Purdue Fort Wayne
Screaming Eagles come home next week
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball concluded a three-game road swing with a 93-74 loss at Purdue University Fort Wayne Saturday evening in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles are 1-4 to start the year, while the Mastodons go to 3-1 in 2024-25.
USI spotted Purdue Fort Wayne a 14-point first-half advantage, 28-14, before junior guard Jared Washington caught fire and sparked a 15-1 run to pull to within two, 31-29, with 5:21 left in the opening half. Washington scored 12 of the 15 points, while USI, as a team, was a perfect six-of-six from outside, including three-of-three from downtown.
The Mastodons would win the final five minutes, 10-6, and led at halftime, 41-35.
In the second half, Purdue Fort Wayne expanded its halftime lead to 11 points, 55-44, before USI narrowed the deficit to four points, 56-52, with 13:44 to play when junior guard Jayland Randall converted a pair of free throws. The Mastodons rebounded and expanded their advantage to as many as 23 points, 88-65, with 3:25 to play before settling for the 93-74 final.
Individually for USI, Washington would lead the Eagles with 19 points, a season-high. The junior guard was six-of-11 from the field, three-of-seven from beyond the arc, and four-of-four from the stripe.
Randall and junior guard Damoni Harrison followed with 14 points each. Harrison was five-of-nine from the field, two-of-four from long range, and two-for-two from the line. Randall was four-of-10 from the field and six-of-six from the charity stripe.
Next Up For USI:
USI returns to Liberty Arena’s friendly home surroundings on November 22 when it hosts the University of South Dakota to start a three-game homestand. During the homestand, USI is also slated to host Indiana State University on November 25 and East-West University on December 2.
