University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball finished the longest season-opening road-trip in program history with an 86-75 victory over the University of Illinois Springfield Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Illinois. USI sees its record go to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the GLVC, while Illinois Springfield goes to 3-4, 0-2 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles have won six-straight to start a campaign for the 14th time in the history of the program.
USI came out cold during the first 20 minutes, but was able to build a seven-point halftime lead, 34-27. The Eagles shot only 35.3 percent (12-34) from the field during the first half, 27.8 percent from long range (5-18).
Sophomore guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) led USI during the opening stanza with 10 points on four-of-seven from the field, including a pair of three-point field goals.
In the second half, the Eagles exploded out of locker room in the second half hitting three of their first four shots to get the lead to 19 points in the first five minutes, 48-29. USI extended the lead to as many as 23 points, 56-33, with 12:13 left in the game.
The Stars, however, were not about to go quietly and rallied to cut the Eagles’ margin to four points, 73-69, with 2:22 remaining. USI was able to get the game back under control and sealed the victory when Stein, senior guard Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky), senior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois), and junior forward Julius Rajala (Finland) converted eight-straight free throws in the final minute to earn the 86-75 win.
Stein finished with a game-high 26 points in leading three Eagles in double-digits. The sophomore guard was nine-of-13 from the field, three-of-four from long range, and five-of-five from the line, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing five assists.
Taylor followed Stein in the scoring column, overcoming a tough first half to post 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Drummond rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and giving out five assists.
As a team, USI cooled off from Thursday, shooting 42.4 percent from the field (28-66) and 30 percent from beyond the arc (9-30). The Eagles, who also outrebounded Stars, 41-32, was nearly perfect from the line, hitting 21-of-22.
USI returns to the Physical Activities Center for the first time in 2016-17 when it hosts the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic. The classic will feature USI hosting Ohio Valley University Saturday night and Lees-McRae College Sunday night. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.
