Eagles lose a heartbreaker in OT, 93-91

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Southeast Missouri State University, 93-91, to open the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference schedule Friday in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles fall to 3-11 overall and start OVC play 0-1, while the Redhawks are 5-8 overall, 1-0 OVC.

USI flew out to a quick lead to open the game, scoring the first four points of the contest. SEMO would respond and tied the game as the Eagles and the Redhawks would trade buckets for the next seven minutes.

After falling behind by three, 17-14, junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) tied the game with an old fashion three-point play, 17-17, while sophomore forward Kiyron Powell (Evansville, Indiana) gave USI the lead, 20-19, with 7:22 until halftime. The buckets were a part of an 11-4 runs by USI that put the Eagles up four, 25-21, with 5:42 in the opening 20 minutes.
 
USI posted its largest lead of the first half, 31-26, at 2:06 when senior forward Nolan Causwell (Duluth, Georgia) converted on a pair of free throws. SEMO, however, would battle back to take to get out in front by halftime, 34-32, after an 8-2 run.
 
In the second half, the Redhawks burst out of the locker room with a 17-7 run and led, 51-39, before seven minutes were gone in the final half. USI rallied to cut the deficit to 51-47 with an 8-0 burst that ended with a junior forward Javius Moore (McComb, Mississippi) free throw with 9:59 on the clock.
 
USI and SEMO would trade buckets until the Eagles used an 8-3 run to close the gap to 64-62 with 3:51 to play. The Redhawks responded with an 8-0 surge for a 71-62 in an attempt to put the game out of reach with less than two minutes to play.
 
The Eagles rallied once again with a 9-1 run, led by junior guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) (six points) and sophomore guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) (three points), and pull USI to within one, 72-71.  
 
Smith had a chance to put the Eagles in front with a drive down the lane, but had his shot blocked with six seconds left and set the stage for sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin).
 
After SEMO extended its lead to 74-71 on a pair of free throws, USI got down the floor quick and Campion launched the last second three-pointer to send the game to overtime.
 
In the overtime, the Eagles and Redhawks exchanged runs but USI was never able to get back into the lead. Hernandez would give the Eagles one last chance, tying the game with a layup, 91-91, with nine ticks left on the clock, but the Redhawks got the final bucket with one second for the 93-91 win.
 
In the scoring column, Hernandez led the Eagles with a career-high 35 points. He was nine-of-17, including a three-pointer, and 16-of-17 from the stripe.
 
Smith followed with his sixth double-double of the season, dropping in 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The sophomore was eight-of-16 from the field and three-of-three from the stripe.
 
The difference in the game came outside the arc and underneath the bucket. USI hit just five-of-20 from beyond the arc, compared to eight-of-18 by SEMO, and was outrebounded, 39-36.  
 
Next Up For USI:
USI concludes the three-game road swing and the first weekend of OVC action with a visit to Lindenwood University Sunday in St. Charles, Missouri. The Lions are 6-7 overall and begin their 2023-24 OVC schedule with USI on Sunday.
 
After last season sweep, USI leads the all-time series with Lindenwood, 6-0. The Eagles took the opening meeting in St. Charles, 81-65, and completed the sweep at Screaming Eagles Arena, 74-64, for one of two OVC series sweeps last season.