Eagles fall short of Leathernecks, 73-68

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball fell short of Western Illinois University, 73-68, in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles fall to 5-16 overall and 2-6 in OVC play, while the Leathernecks are 13-7 overall, 6-1 OVC.
 
The Eagles started fast, building a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes. USI hit four of its first five shots with sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) dropping in two of the four shots.
 
WIU closed the gap to two, 11-9 and 13-11, with seven minutes gone in the half. The Eagles and the Leathernecks would trade buckets overt the next 10 minutes, with USI lead leading by as many as five points three times.
 
After the Leathernecks regained the lead 34-32, USI took back the advantage, 35-34, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois). WIU would get the final three points of the half and ran into the locker room with a 37-35 lead into the break.
 
WIU extended its halftime margin to nine points, 54-45, with 13:10 to play in the game after hitting seven-of-11 to begin the second half. USI’ offense was cool in the first seven minutes, dropping in two of its first nine shots.

The Eagles started to climb back into the game with a 5-0 run and a strong defense that held the Leathernecks scoreless for five minutes to make the score, 56-50. USI continued to chip away at the deficit, closing to three points, 61-58, on a pair of free throws by junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) with 4:36 remaining.
 
USI reduced the deficit to two points three times (62-60, 66-64, 68-66) in the final minutes, but could not get by WIU in the 73-68 decision.
 
USI had three players in double-digits, led by Hernandez with game-high 26 points. The 26 points were Hernandez’s third-straight game with 20 or more points.
 
Smith followed with 12 points and barely missed his ninth double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Campion rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.
 
Next Up For USI:
USI returns to the road next for a pair of OVC games in Tennessee. The Eagles open the road trip February 1 with a visit to Tennessee Tech University and conclude the trip February 3 with an appointment with Tennessee State University.
 
TTU (7-13, 2-5 OVC) started its week with a 68-59 loss at Eastern Illinois University and conclude its road swing with visit to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday. Golden Eagles took the first game with USI earlier this month 73-59 at Screaming Eagles Arena and leads the all-time series, 3-0.
 
TSU (11-9, 4-3 OVC) has one game this week, a visit to EIU Saturday in Charleston, Illinois. USI took a 2-1 lead in the all-time series earlier this month, defeating the Tigers, 69-67, at Screaming Eagles Arena.