EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball fell short on New Year’s Day at SIU Edwardsville, 59-55, Thursday afternoon at First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles go to 3-10 overall and 0-3 in the OVC, while the SIUE Cougars are 9-5, 2-1 OVC.
A defensive battle through the first 10 minutes of the game, USI managed only one field goal and four free throws, trailing by three points, 9-6. The Screaming Eagles were one-of-13 from the field to start the contest, while SIUE was four-of-15.
Following a run that saw the Cougars extend the lead to eight points, 18-10, with 7:54 before halftime, senior guard/forward Steven Clay and junior forward Tolu Samuels rallied the Screaming Eagles with a combined eight points to pull USI to within three, 21-18, with 4:09 before the break. Clay had five of the eight points during the surge.
USI and SIUE would trade points for the remainder of the half, which saw the Cougars with the advantage, 28-23. Samuels paced the Eagles during the first 20 minutes with seven points.
In the second half, USI fell behind by 10 points, 41-31, with 13:32 to play, but rallied to close to within five points (41-36 and 42-37) over the next two minutes. The margin would be cut further when senior guard Cardell Bailey hit a three-pointer to pull the Screaming Eagles to within four, 44-40.
The Cougars, however, responded with back-to-back three-pointers to push their advantage back to 10 points, 50-40, with 8:23 left. The Screaming Eagles would rally one last time and cut the 10-point deficit to four points, 54-50, when sophomore guard Josiah Dunham hit a three-pointer with 1:54 to play.
USI closed the gap to two points, 57-55, when junior guard Sheridan Sharp scored on a drive to the bucket with 13 seconds left, but SIUE sealed the 59-55 final with 10 seconds left on a pair of free throws.
USI was led by the 14-point performance of Samuels. The junior forward was five-of-10 from the field with a three-pointer and three free throws, while tying for a team-high with eight rebounds.
SIUE sported the 66ers game jerseys for today’s game only to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Highway 66 across the United States.
Next Up For USI:
USI finishes the first road trip of the 2026 calendar by visiting Lindenwood Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. game in St. Charles, Missouri.
Lindenwood defeated Morehead State at home this afternoon, 77-64, to go to 9-5 overall and 3-0 OVC. The Lions are the hottest team in the OVC to start the second half of the season, winning seven of their last eight.
The Screaming Eagles lead the Lions, 8-2, overall (OVC and GLVC) in a series that began in 2020.
