16th-ranked University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball used a trio of big runs to defeat King University, 87-68, Saturday afternoon at the Screaming Eagles Arena. USI goes to 7-1 overall, while King is 8-4 in 2019-20.
USI rallied from a pair of first half double-digit deficits in the opening half (12-2 and 25-14) to lead at the intermission, 38-37. The Eagles took their first lead of the game, 27-25, on a lay-up by junior forward Josh Price at 5:56 to cap off a 13-1 run.
The USI lead would grow to as many as five points, 36-31, during the first 20 minutes when junior guard Mateo Rivera deposited a layup with 1:43 left to half. King, however, would score six of the last eight points, allowing USI a one-point margin at the first half buzzer.
Price led the offense during the opening half with 11 points, while junior forward Emmanuel Little reached double-digits with 10 points.
The second half started off with a USI offensive explosion as the Eagles went on a 16-2 run to build a 54-39 lead before five minutes were gone. The Eagles were a blistering seven-of-eight from the field during the run with senior guard Joe Laravie leading the way with eight points.
The Tornado responded with a 16-4 run of their own to cut the Eagles’ lead to three points, 58-53, with 9:41 left. USI regained control and closed the door on the game with a 12-4 run that put the margin back into double-digits at 70-58 on a pair of Little free throws at 5:27 of the second half.
USI’s second half lead would grow to as many as 19 points with 44 ticks on the clock and the eventual 87-68 final.
Individually, Price led four Eagles in double-digits with 23 points on 10-of-15 from the field and three-of-six from the stripe. He also finished the contest with his team-high third double-double of the season, tying for a game-high with 10 rebounds.
Little followed Price in the scoring column with 19 points and finished the game with his second-straight double-double, tying Price with 10 boards. Rivera and Laravie rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points and 11 points, respectively.
USI hits the halfway mark of the homestand Sunday when it hosts Tiffin University. The Dragons are 6-7 overall this season after posting a 76-71 victory over Urbana University in overtime Friday night.
The Eagles have a 5-0 lead in the all-time series with Tiffin and will be hosting the Dragons for the first time since 2009. The Eagles were led in the 93-73, 2009 victory by Jamar Smith and Jeron Lewis with 16 points each.
The homestand concludes after the New Year when the Eagles re-start GLVC action by hosting Drury University January 2 for a 7:30 p.m. game and Southwest Baptist University January 4 for a 3:15 p.m. tip. The USI-SBU match-up is the first in the series and in GLVC play between the two programs.
