Eagles start three-game road swing Friday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball returns to the road for its second three-game road trip of the season, beginning with a visit to Southern Illinois University Friday in Carbondale, Illinois. The tipoff time has been moved up to 6 p.m. Friday in the Banterra Center.
 
Fans can track your Eagles all season by visiting the schedule on USIScreamingEagles.com for links to follow all of the action on the ESPN+, ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com), and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com/).
 
USI, which is 3-9, got back on track with a 79-47 win over the University of Saint Francis (Illinois) Tuesday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. USI junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) led the Eagles to victory with a career-high 18 points.
 
Through the first 12 games of the season, junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) lead USI in scoring with 12.8 points and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Smith also leads the team with 9.5 rebounds per contest.
 
The Salukis of SIU are 7-4 this season after posting a 76-63 win over North Dakota State University at home Tuesday night. The win also broke a two-game skid by the Salukis, who are 3-3 in the last six games.
 
USI won last year’s meeting at Screaming Eagles Arena, 71-53, for the Eagles’ first NCAA Division I win. SIU leads the all-time series with USI, 3-1, dating back to 1981.
 
Following Friday’s contest, USI opens Ohio Valley Conference action at Southeast Missouri State University December 29 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and at Lindenwood University December 31 in St. Charles, Missouri. The next USI home games are not until the new year when the Eagles host Tennessee State University January 4 and Tennessee Tech University January 6 at Screaming Eagles Arena.