Little finished with a game-high 29 points to become the 21st Screaming Eagles to score 1,000 or more points in program history and has 1,005 career points in two-plus seasons. The junior forward also had a double-double with 13 rebounds and reached 625 career rebounds, moving into a tie with Chris Thompson for seventh all-time at USI
The Eagles and the Lions traded buckets through the opening eight minutes that featured six lead changes and a 15 minute delay due to shot clock problems. Lindenwood took command with 11:27 left in the opening stanza with a 14-3 run to post a 31-20 advantage.
USI responded with a 12-2 spurt to cut the deficit to 32-31 at the 3:36 mark when senior guard Joe Laravie buried a three from the left corner. The Eagles were a blistering five-of-six from the field during the run and were led by junior forward Emmanuel Little’s four of the 12 points.
The Lions would maintain their advantage in the final minutes of the half as the Eagles went into the locker room down four points, 40-36.
Little propelled the Eagles back into the lead, 45-42, with the start the second half by scoring seven of USI’s nine points in the first three minutes and leading a 9-2 run at 14:25 remaining. After taking the lead, the Eagles never looked back and began to expand the margin.
USI would double up Lindenwood over the next 10 minutes, 26-13, to post its biggest lead of the game, 73-59. Little scored 10 of the 26 points during the surge, while junior forward Josh Price added six more.
The Lions would cut the Eagles’ lead under 10 points twice more, closing to within eight points, 79-71, with 26 ticks left before Little and junior guard Mateo Rivera closed out the game with free throws for the 83-74 win.
In addition to Little’s game-high 29 points, Price and Rivera followed with 18 points and 12 points, respectively. Laravie closed out the double-digit scorers for the Eagles with 11 points.
USI starts the second half of the four-game road swing Thursday when it visits Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri, before finishing the longest road trip of the season February 8 when the Eagles travel to Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Missouri.
Maryville finished this weekend’s GLVC action with 76-65 loss at Drury University and is winless in the league with a 0-12 mark, 4-15 overall. Missouri S&T saw its record to 4-14 overall and 2-10 in the GLVC after falling, 93-76, at Southwest Baptist University.
