The University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team won the second half by 23 points and cruised by Martin Methodist College, 84-56, Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. USI watched its record to 5-2 overall in 2017-18, while Martin Methodist, which is a member of the NAIA and considers the game an exhibition, remains 0-7.
The Screaming Eagles found themselves down five points in the first five minutes of the game, 11-6, before going on a 6-0 spurt to lead 12-11, at the 12:10 mark. USI would increase the lead over the next six minutes to nine points twice before going into the locker room with a 36-31 advantage.
USI senior guard Marcellous Washington (Lexington, Kentucky) paced the Eagles during the opening 20 minutes with 12 points on four-of-seven from long range. Junior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) followed with nine first-half points.
In the second half, USI picked up the offense, shooting 53.3 percent from the field (16-30) and 55.6 percent from long range (5-9), to take command of the game. The Eagles sealed the victory with a 16-0 run midway through the final half with seven different players scoring during the offensive explosion that saw the lead grow to 60-39 with 9:51 remaining.
USI, which also won the rebounding battle in the game, 47-27, would expand the lead to as many as 28 points twice, including the 84-56 final score.
Washington finished the game on top of the USI scoring column with 19 points. The senior guard was seven-of-11 from the field and five-of-nine from beyond the arc. He also tied a season-best with a game-high seven assists.
Stein followed Washington in scoring with 16 points, while junior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) and senior forward Julius Rajala (Helsinki, Finland) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
Rajala also completed a double-double with a career-best and a game-high 10 rebounds. The double-double was the first for Rajala as an Eagle.
The Eagles conclude their longest homestand of the season when they host Lewis University to open the Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Lewis, a fellow member of the GLVC East Division, has started the year 1-4 and plays Wayne State University this afternoon at home in Romeoville, Illinois.
USI leads the all-time series with Lewis, 45-24, after defeating the Flyers, 80-57, last season at the PAC. Stein paced four Eagles in double-digits with 18 points. The Eagles also have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Flyers.
