Eagles rally to defeat Indiana State in OT

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rallied late in the second half and overtime to defeat Indiana State University in overtime, 88-85, Sunday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles, who are 2-0 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents this season, are 5-5 after today’s action, while the Sycamores are 9-2.
 
The first five minutes of the saw the Eagles and the Sycamores trade runs, looking for control. USI started the game with a 5-0 sprint before Indiana State used a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 9-5. The teams would continue to trade buckets until 8:55 with the contest tied, 21-21.
 
The Eagles surged with a13-7 to post their largest lead of the game, 34-28, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana). USI was five-of-nine during the run, including three-of-four from beyond the arc.
 
The Sycamores would climb back into the contest with an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 36-34, with 1:57 left before the Eagles scored the final six points of the half. Swope, who had 12 first half points, sent the Eagles into the locker room with a 40-36 advantage on back-to-back three-point field goals in the final 90 seconds before halftime. The first half featured eight lead changes and five ties.
 
The second half did not start in favor of the Eagles as the Sycamores scored nine of the first 11 points to regain the advantage, 44-42. Indiana State’s second half surge would extend the lead to 10 points, 57-47, with 11:32 remaining.
 
Indiana State would hold onto the double-digit lead until the final six minutes of regulation when USI, trailing by 11 points (69-58) mounted a19-8 comeback to tie the game at 77-77 when Swope drained a three-point bomb with 35 seconds left. Swope and graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) led the USI comeback with seven points each as the Eagles were six-of-seven from the field and three-of-four from beyond the arc as a team during the rally.
 
In overtime, USI scored the first four points to take a quick, 81-77 advantage before the Sycamores railed to regain the lead, 84-82, with 1:30 left. The Eagles would take advantage of trips to the free throw line to jump back into the lead. Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) tied the game at 84-84 with 1:09 left, while junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) gave USI the lead for good with a pair of charity shots with 54 ticks left on the clock.
 
Swope would seal the victory in two more trips to the line. He would make one of two at 33 seconds and eight seconds for the 88-85 victory.
 
In the scoring column, Swope led five players in double-digits with a career-high 28 points. He was a blistering eight-of-12 from the field, eight-of-nine from downtown, and four-of-eight from the line. The sophomore also had a team-high four assists.
 
Lakes and junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan) followed Swope in the scoring column with 15 points each. Lakes also completed his first double-double of the year with 12 rebounds.
 
Polakovich dropped in 14 points and completed his second double-double of the season with 11 rebounds, while Henry rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.