Eagles rally, fall short in season finale
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rallied in the final minutes, but fell short, 74-69, at Tennessee State University Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee. The Screaming Eagles finish the 2024-25 campaign 10-20 overall and 5-15 in the OVC, while the Tigers go to 16-15, 12-8 OVC.
The Eagles struggled to get the offense in the first 10 minutes of the game, falling behind, 15-7, and suffering through a four-minute scoreless drought. USI would get in gear and began to close the gap to 23-20 with a 13-8 dash, led by four points each by junior guard Ryan Hall and junior center Alex Horiuk.
TSU responded with a quick 5-0 spurt to get the lead back to eight points, 28-20. USI closed the gap to six, 34-28, but TSU got the final five points of the half to lead at halftime, 39-28. Hall reached double-digits at the end of the first 20 minutes with 10 points to lead the Eagles.
In the second half, the Tigers quickly pushed the 11-point halftime lead to 17, 45-28, with a trio of baskets. The separation would increase 19 points, 57-38, when USI exploded on a 13-0 run to close the gap to 57-52 with 8:35 left.
The Eagles would hit four-of-six from the field and held the Tigers without a point for nearly five minutes. TSU responded by pushing its lead back to 12 points, 64-52, with 6:12 to play, but USI would surrender.
The Eagles closed the gap to six points, 70-64, with 54.2 after junior guard Jayland Randall hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Randall also would get the Eagles to within four, 70-66, with a pair of free throws with 24.5 seconds to play.
USI continued the attack and got the margin down to one on a three-pointer by junior guard Jack Campion, 70-69. TSU hit a pair of free throws to extend its lead to 72-69, giving the Eagles a chance to tie, but graduate forward Jack Mielke missed a three from the top of the key with four seconds left.
The Tigers would hit two more free throws to seal the game, 74-69.
Individually, USI had three players in double-digits for the contest. Randall led the way with 18 points, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi and Hall followed with 13 points each. Olowoniyi also grabbed a team-high and career-high 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
Next Up For USI:
The 2025-26 USI Men’s Basketball Schedule Coming Soon.
