University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball built a 31-point lead by halftime to powered by St. Catharine College, 94-63, to conclude action in the Bellarmine Classic Saturday evening in Louisville, Kentucky. USI sees its record go to 8-2 overall, 3-1 on a neutral courts, while St. Catharine falls to 3-10.
The Screaming Eagles came out firing in the opening half and built a commanding 54-23 lead by the intermission. USI started the contest with an 8-0 run before exploding on a 16-0 run to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles were a blistering 61.8 percent from the field (21-34) in the first 20 minutes, 60 percent from behind the arc (6-10). They also outrebounded the Patriots, 25-6, in the first half and were led by junior guard Jeril Taylor(Louisville, Kentucky) with 13 points and junior forward T.J. Tisdell (Cape Girardeau, Missouri) with 11 points.
USI maintained the 31 point advantage throughout the second half, leading by as many as 32 points, 76-44, and never letting the lead fall below 25 points. The Eagles also finished the game by shooting 57.4 percent (35-61) from the field and outrebounding the Patriots by a commanding 26 boards, 44-18.
In the scoring column, USI had 11 players score with four reaching double-digits. Taylor led the way with a team-high 20 points, hitting seven-of-13 from the field and three-of-five from long range.
Tisdell followed Taylor with 13 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Senior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) and freshman guard Alex Stein(Evansville, Indiana) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points each. Stein also had a team-high six assists.
USI returns to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center for a pair of games around the holidays. The Eagles host Spalding University December 19 at 1 p.m. and Purdue University North Central December 30 at 7 p.m. before restarting Great Lakes Valley Conference action after New Year’s.
