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.