Eagles survive battle with Bulldogs, 72-65

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The University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team survived a battle with Fisk University, 72-65, Monday evening at the Physical Athletics Center. USI watched its record to 4-2 overall in 2017-18, while Fisk, which is a member of the NAIA and considers the game an exhibition, remains 5-1.

The Screaming Eagles fell behind early, missing their first seven shots and watching the Bulldogs build a 12-0 lead before the first media timeout. USI, which would trail by as many as 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, would methodically start to chip away at the deficit with junior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) scoring six of the first nine Eagle points.

Hansen’s six points started a 21-9 run that resulted in the Eagles tying the score, 21-21, on a three-point bomb by junior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) with 6:57 remaining  before halftime . The Bulldogs would responded with a five-point burst to regain the lead, 26-21, before the Eagles bounced back to knot the game at 28-28 on a three-pointer by Hansen with 3:01 left in the first half.

After trading buckets, USI got its first lead of the game, 32-30, with 56 second left until the intermission on a basket by junior forward Jacob Norman (Evansville, Indiana). Fisk, however, would take a 33-32 lead into the locker room at halftime on an old-fashioned three-point play.

USI and Fisk would trade small leads through the first 14 minutes of the second half with the Eagles having the largest advantage, 48-43, with 11:05 to play. The Eagles made their move in the final six minutes, using a 12-2 run to take command, 66-57.

Four free throws by Hansen and Stein, followed by a dunk by senior center Julius Rajala (Helsinki, Finland), in the final 30 seconds sealed the victory for the Eagles, 72-65.

Hansen finished the game with a season-best and game-high 22 points, while Stein and Rajala rounded out the double-digit scorers with 20 points and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward DayJar Dickson(Washington, D.C.) led USI on the glass with a career-high and game-high 13 rebounds as the Eagles dominated the boards, 51-24.

The Eagles continue start the second half of the four-game homestand Saturday when they host Martin Methodist College for a 1 p.m. match-up. USI won the only meeting with Martin Methodist, defeating the Redhawks, 100-62, last season in the Bellarmine Classic. Senior center Davis Carter had a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Martin Methodist, who will plays Cumberland University Tuesday night, is 0-6 to start the 2017-18 season in the NAIA.

 

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