The University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team picked up its first victory of the new calendar with a 6-1 triumph over Brescia University Friday.

Junior Spencer Blandford and freshman Lucas Sakamaki teamed up for a shutout in doubles action, leading the Screaming Eagles to capture the doubles point.

Sakamaki and Blandford each also picked up singles victories with scores of 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-0, respectively.

Sophomores Parker Collignon and Marvin Kromer each also snagged swift singles wins; Collignon swept Brescia’s Christian Fernandez, 6-0, 6-0, while Kromer scored a 6-2, 6-0 tally.

USI Men’s Tennis hits the road due north for its next four matches, visiting Hillsdale College next Friday, followed by Davenport University (February 16), Purdue University Northwest (February 23) and Northwood University (February 28).

University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball junior forward Emmanuel Little  and junior guard Mateo Rivera combined for 43 points in leading the Screaming Eagles to a 72-61 victory over Maryville University Thursday evening in St. Louis, Missouri.  USI goes to 16-5 overall and 8-5 in the GLVC, while Maryville finishes the evening 4-16, 0-13 GLVC.

The Eagles had a rough first half and found themselves down seven points at the halftime buzzer. USI, which trailed by as many as nine points (36-27) just before the intermission, struggled with seven first half turnovers.

A bright spot in the opening half was the play for Little, who had a team-best 11 points. Little was five-of-nine from the field, including his first three-point field of the season.

Maryville continued to have USI’s number to start the second half, extending its lead to nine points, 38-29, with the opening bucket after halftime. The Eagles began to chip away at the deficit and finally closed to with two points, 45-43, on a three-point bomb by junior guard/forward Clayton Hughes with 12:36 on the clock.

USI knotted game at 50-50 on a layup by Little at the 8:49 mark before junior forward Josh Price put USI back into the lead for the first time since the first bucket of the game, 52-50, with 7:52 remaining. Maryville would grab the lead back once more, 53-52, ahead of Price hitting a pair of free throws to put the Eagles in the lead for good with 7:04 left, 54-53.

Rivera and Little took over at that point to lead the Eagles down the stretch, combining for 16 of USI’s final 18 point in an 18-8 run to the finish. Rivera had 10 points in the run, while Little dropped in six before senior guard/forward Kobe Caldwell got the final bucket in the 72-61 victory.

Individually, Little reached 20-or-more points for the second-straight game with a game-high 24. He was 11-of-16 from the field, one-of-one from long range, and one-of-four from the line.

Rivera reached a season-high with 19 points, scoring 14 in the second half. The junior guard was a blistering six-of-nine during the second half comeback, two-of-three from behind the arc.

Price rounded out the double-digits scorers for the Eagles with 10 points and tied Rivera for the team-lead with eight rebounds.

USI concludes its longest road trip of the season with a visit to Missouri University of Science & Technology. The Miners saw their record to 5-14 overall and 3-10 in the GLVC after upsetting McKendree University, 73-71, this evening at home in Rolla, Missouri, snapping a four-game losing streak.

The Eagles have a 17-3 all-time series lead over Missouri S&T, 7-1 in games in Rolla. USI won the only meeting last year, 96-64, at the Physical Activities Center, highlighted by a double-double by Little with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball used a dominating defensive effort to overcome a slow first quarter and defeat host Maryville University, 61-54, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference bout Thursday evening.

After shooting just 13.3 percent (2-15) from the field and committing seven turnovers in the opening period, the Screaming Eagles rallied with a dominating second-half performance that saw them turn a 13-4 deficit into a commanding 32-23 halftime advantage.

USI (13-6, 9-4 GLVC) used strong defense to keep the Saints within reach in the opening period as it held Maryville to just four points throughout the final six-and-a-half minutes of the quarter.

The buckets opened up in the second frame as USI connected on six of its first eight shots and 11-of-17 (.647) attempts in the period. Meanwhile, USI held the Saints to just four second-quarter field goals and just 28.6 percent shooting as it outscored its counterpart, 28-10, in the frame.

Maryville (11-9, 6-7 GLVC), however, rallied throughout the third period as both teams struggled from the field.

USI went just 4-of-16 (.250) from the field in the third quarter, while Maryville was just 4-of-15 (.267). The Saints, however, went 7-of-8 from the free throw line and connected on three shots from downtown as they trimmed the Eagles’ advantage to 47-41 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Maryville continued its comeback into the fourth period, eventually taking a brief one-point lead (49-48) with just under eight minutes on the clock.

The Eagles’ defense, however, stiffened up from that point as USI held the Saints to 0-of-9 shooting during a 9-0 run that left the Eagles with a 56-49 lead with just under five minutes left on the clock.

Freshman forward Tara Robbe had a pair of buckets during the run that propelled the Eagles to their second straight win.

USI held the Saints to just 1-of-14 (.071) shooting throughout the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the game as it held on for the seven-point win.

Senior guard Ashley Johnson and junior guard Emma DeHart each had 13 points to lead the Eagles, while freshman forward Hannah Haithcock recorded her first-career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Robbe finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while Johnson added four steals and three assists. DeHart and senior guard/forward Morgan Sherwood each finished with seven rebounds for USI, which held a 45-41 rebounding advantage.

Maryville was led by senior guard Mary Barton, who had a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. Senior center Abby Monis added 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while sophomore guard Jayda Jansen added 14 points and three assists.

USI finishes its four-game road trip Saturday at 1 p.m. when it takes on Missouri University of Science & Technology in a GLVC contest in Rolla, Missouri. The Miners (7-13, 3-10 GLVC) suffered a 74-60 home loss to McKendree University Thursday evening.