Screaming Eagles lose a heartbreaker at Morehead State, 66-65
MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball lost a heartbreaker at Morehead State University, 66-65, Thursday evening in Morehead, Kentucky. The Screaming Eagles are 9-12 overall and 4-7 in OVC action, while the MSU Eagles go to 14-8, 9-2 OVC.
USI started quick and had a 12-9 lead by the 14:09 mark before hitting an offensive drought that lasted for the next six minutes and allowing Morehead State to take a 19-12 advantage with 7:55 left in the half.
The Screaming Eagles would bounce back with a 9-2 surge to even the score, 21-21. Junior guard Jayland Randall led the USI offense back to life with six of the nine points during the run with 2:34 left before halftime.
Morehead State took back the momentum and sprinted to a nine-point lead, 35-26, on a 14-5 run in the final minutes of the half. Randall paced the Screaming Eagles with 14 of the 26 first half points.
Early in the second half, Morehead State extended its lead to nine points, 39-30, with 14:32 left in the game when USI started to make a push.
The Screaming Eagles started by getting to five points, 50-45, when sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi hit a jumper with 9:18 to play. The MSU Eagles continued to hold off USI until the Screaming Eagles made another push and cut the deficit to two points, 60-58, on a three-point bomb with 4:10 on the clock by graduate forward Jack Mielke.
USI closed the gap to one point four times (60-59, 62-61, 64-63, 66-65) in the final two minutes, but it could not get over the top. The Screaming Eagles were unable to convert on three possessions in the final 45 seconds before the MSU Eagles closed out the game, 66-65.
The Screaming Eagles had three players in double-digits, led by Randall with 16 points. He was followed by Olowoniyi and Mielke, who had 13 points and 12 points, respectively, in the second half.
Next Up For USI:
USI returns to the friendly surroundings of Liberty Arena for a three-game homestand, beginning Saturday with Tennessee Tech University. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.
The Golden Eagles of TTU snapped a four-game losing streak with an 89-85 overtime win on Saturday at the University of Tennessee at Martin. TTU, which visits Morehead State Thursday before coming to USI, is 6-4 in the last 10 games, including a five-game winning streak.
USI lost on the road, 68-64, in the first meeting of this season with TTU. Olowoniyi led USI with a double-double, 26 points and 13 rebounds, while junior guard Damoni Harrison added 20 points.
The homestand continues next week with a pair of games during the 2025 Homecoming. USI is scheduled to play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock February 6 and Southeast Missouri State University February 8. Both games are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Tickets for the homestand and all USI home dates are on sale now at USIScreamingEagles.com.
