Trailing by 14 in the second half, Bradley outscored the University of Evansville men’s basketball team by a 40-17 margin in the final 14 minutes to defeat the Purple Aces by a final of 84-72 on Saturday at Carver Arena.

Jaylon Brown paced the Aces (14-15, 5-11 MVC) with 22 points as he connected on 11 out of 12 free throws.  Ryan Taylor completed the game with 16.  Darrell Brown drained four triples to lead the Braves (10-19, 5-11 MVC) with 22 points.  Donte Thomas was next with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

“Bradley picked their game up, they changed their pulse and we did not.  We struggled with being tough and competing in the second half,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said.

A pair of early 3-pointers saw the Braves open up a 7-2 lead in the opening 90 seconds of play before a Ryan Taylor bucket gave UE the lead at 10-9 at the 15:47 mark.  After a Dru Smith trey put the Aces up 13-11, Bradley continued to dial it up from long range as another Darrell Brown tripe capped off a 9-0 stretch that saw BU go up 20-13 with 9:11 remaining in the half.

Still up by seven points at 26-19 on Brown’s fourth 3-pointer, the Braves offense went cold as they failed to hit a field goal for a span of nearly six minutes.  Evansville’s offense found its groove as Smith’s second long ball gave UE its largest lead at 33-29 with 2:40 on the clock.  The Aces also did a masterful job of working the clock in the final minute as buckets courtesy of Christian Benzon and Duane Gibson gave the Aces a 38-34 lead at halftime.

David Howard connected on his third shot of the day on the first possession of the second half to extend UE’s lead to 40-34.  Evansville added to the lead over the next three minutes as a technical foul and personal foul sent UE to the line where it connected on 3 out of 4 free throw attempts to extend the lead to 49-37.  It capped off an 11-3 run to open up the second stanza.

Evansville pushed its lead to 14 points at 55-41 before the long ball started falling again for BU as a 14-3 stretch cut the gap to just three points at 58-55 with 11 minutes remaining.  The Braves connected on four triples in a row including a pair by Jayden Hodgson as they got within a possession.  With under nine minutes left, two more free throws by BU got them within one at 60-59.

Ryan Taylor ended a field goal drought of over five minutes as his bucket ended the stretch.  He hit another one with 7:33 remaining to put the Aces back up by three at 64-61.  Less than two minutes later, the tenth trey of the day for Bradley was a big one as Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye gave the Braves a 66-64 advantage.

From there, the Braves extended their lead to ten on another Hodgson three at 80-70 with just over a minute left before they extended it for the 84-72 win.

Bradley shot 51.9% on the day, including 57.1% in the second half.  UE hit 50% of its shots in the first 20 minutes, but was just 8-of-23 (34.8%) in the final period.

A trip to Wichita State on Tuesday will mark the final road game of the regular season.  The Aces and Shockers meet at 7 p.m.  Seven days from today, the Aces welcome Indiana State to the Ford Center for the regular season finale at noon.

The 23rd-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team posted a six-spot in the ninth inning to rally by second-ranked University of Tampa, 11-10, Saturday afternoon in Tampa, Florida. USI is 1-1 after the win, while Tampa goes to 6-2 in 2017.

The finale of the three-game slate is set for 11 a.m. (CST) Sunday. Live coverage can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.

After the Spartans grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first, the Screaming Eagles took their first lead of the year by scoring five unanswered runs in the second and third innings. Junior shortstop Angel Torres (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) put USI’s first run across in the second when he singled in junior first baseman Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) to make the score 3-1.

USI would take its first lead of the year into the top of the third when junior centerfielder Buddy Johnson (Shelbyville, Kentucky) homered to cut the deficit to 3-2 and junior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) hit a three-run blast for the 5-3 advantage. The lead was short lived as Tampa knotted the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the third, regained the lead with two in the fourth, and extended its advantage to 10-5 with three in the eighth.

The Eagles, however, were not done as they took advantage of three walks, combined with four hits to score six times in the top of the ninth to retake the lead, 11-10. Junior designated hitter Nathan Kuester (Rockport, Indiana) got the comeback rolling with a three-run double to pull the Eagles to within one, 10-9, before scoring on a wild pitch to knot the game up at 10-10.

Torres came full circle for the Eagles, driving in the winning run with a two-out double, and the 11-10 lead after eight-and-a-half innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, senior right-hander Justin Watts (Bryan, Ohio) closed the door on the USI victory setting the Spartans down in order to earn his first save of the year. USI sophomore right-hander Austin Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) picked up the win in relief for the Eagles. Krizan (1-0) went four innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits.

Following the series finale on Sunday, the Eagles return to the USI Baseball Field for the 2017 home opener February 24 at 1 p.m. when they host Wayne State University (Michigan) to begin the Dunn Hospitality Classic.

The 14th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team celebrated Senior Day with an 81-67 Senior Day victory over McKendree University Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. USI sees its record go to 25-2 overall and 15-2 in the GLVC, while McKendree goes to 9-16 overall, 3-14 GLVC.

The win sets up a showdown between USI and GLVC East Division leading and fourth-ranked Bellarmine University (23-3, 15-1 GLVC) Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) in Louisville, Kentucky. A USI win will clinch a share of the 2017 East Division crown.

The game will be broadcast live on NCAA.com and the American Sports Network.

USI’s 25 victory this year is the most since 2013-14 and marks the 14th time in the history of the program.

The Screaming Eagles were blistering from the field in the opening half, hitting seven of the first nine shots, six of which were from beyond the arc. USI would lead by as many as 19 points in the opening half before going into the locker room with a 46-35 advantage.

Sophomore guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) led the way for the Eagles with 16 points on a red-hot seven-of-eight from the field, two-of-three from long range. Senior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) followed Stein in double-digits with 10 points on four-of-six from outside, two from downtown.

In the second half, USI’s 11-point halftime lead slipped to five points, 48-43, as McKendree challenged the Eagles in the first five minutes after the intermission. The Eagles responded by methodically rebuilding the lead, re-extending the margin to 17 points in the second half, 75-58, with 4:16 left.

The Bearcats would claw back to within 11 points, 78-67, before junior guard Kyle Aiton (Newburgh, Indiana) sealed the 81-67 victory with a three-point bomb with seven seconds left.

Individually, Stein added 11 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 27 points. He concluded the game with 11-of-14 from the field, three-of-four from beyond, and two-of-two from the line, while dishing six assists and grabbing seven rebounds.

Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky) followed Stein in the scoring column with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Drummond and junior forward DayJar Dickson (Washington, D.C.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points each.

The University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team swept Truman State University 9-0 Saturday afternoon, in a neutral site matchup at Reservoir Park in Quincy, Illinois.

USI (3-3) took control early, dominating in all three doubles matches. Picking up the first point the Screaming Eagles was the duo of sophomore Andrew Dones (Georgetown, Indiana) and sophomore Ilia Karelin (Ekaterinburg, Russia) as they defeated Griffin Turnage and Nick Thiele 8-1 at number three doubles.

Senior Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) and junior Samuel Kiladejo (London, England) made it 2-0 USI with an 8-2 win. Rounding out doubles for the Eagles was sophomore James Hardiman (Backwell, Bristol, United Kingdom) and freshman Denis Davydov (Chorvatsky Grob, Slovakia) where they tallied an 8-2 victory at number two.

With Hardiman not playing singles, USI moved everyone up a flight. This was no problem for the Eagles, as they went on to win each match. Barris won at number three to open singles play, 6-2, 6-2.

Junior Jack Lipchik (Kokomo, Indiana) picked up the win at number five, defeating Conner Frazier 6-0, 6-4. Davydov, Kiladejo, Karelin and Dones also picked up easy wins in their respective matches.

USI is back at it tomorrow when they take on Quincy University at 10 a.m. in Quincy, Illinois.

University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field concluded the indoor regular season with three individual wins and a sixth place showing as a team Saturday afternoon at the Depauw Classic.

Picking up the team’s first win of the day and his second of the season, senior Jalen Madison‘s (Washington, Indiana) top throw of 50 feet, 10.25 inches was good enough for the victory in the weight throw. The distance is the third farthest of the season for Madison.

Also pulling out wins for the Screaming Eagles were freshman Justin Greathouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) and sophomore Almustapha Silvester (Indianapolis, Indiana) in the 5,000-meters and 800-meters, respectively. Greathouse earned his victory with a time of 15 minutes, 46.70, while Silvester finished his 800-meters in 1:59.23 for his best time of the season.

USI earned a total of seven top-10 finishes, including the three wins. Freshman Eli Hill (Bloomington, Illinois) shaved six seconds off his season-best mile time, now 4:23.60, for a third-place finish.

The final three top-ten finishes came in field events with junior Daniel Gibson (Normal, Illinois) capturing all three. Gibson topped his season best in the pole vault for a fifth-place finish after clearing 11’11.75 inches. The junior also placed seventh and 10th in the high jump and shot put. Gibson’s mark of 38’10.50″ in the shot put is also a season best.

As a team, USI came away with 42 points to finish sixth. Wabash College and Depauw University took the top two spots with 115 and 89 points, respectively. Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Bellarmine University rounded out the top three with 87. Thomas More College and Centre College finished ahead of the Eagles in fourth and fifth.

With the conclusion of the indoor regular season, the Eagles now look to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships to be held February 25 & 26 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field had another weekend highlighted by senior Hilary Paxson (Liberty Center, Indiana) breaking her own school-record in the weight throw, while also earning the program’s first NCAA II provisional mark in a throwing event. Two more Screaming Eagles also earned three separate wins at the Depauw Classic Saturday afternoon.

Defeating the rest of the field by nearly four feet, Paxson broke her own school-record in the weight throw earning a mark of 53 feet, 10.25 inches. The distance surpasses Paxson’s previous record by nearly five feet, which she set earlier this season. The toss also earned the sophomore the first NCAA II provisional mark in the history of the USI women’s program for a throwing event.

Paxson also earned a sixth-place showing in the shot put with a distance of 34’08.50″.

Senior Jenna Martin (Evansville, Indiana) picked up her third win of the season in her first 2017 appearance in the 60-meter hurdles. Martin’s time of 9.36 seconds paced the field by over a half-a-second.

Later in the afternoon, Martin picked up her fourth win of the year in the long jump with a mark of 16’11.50″. Junior Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) made her first appearance of the season, earning a sixth-place finish with a mark of 15’08.75″ in the long jump.

Improving her season best by 25 seconds, sophomore Miranda Coats (Sellersburg, Indiana) picked up her first collegiate victory in the 3,000-meters with a time of 11:32.82.

Junior Christina Kropid (Springfield, Illinois) was runner-up in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:30.46, while junior Olivia Kelley (Columbus, Indiana) and sophomore Allyson Watson (East Peoria, Illinois) also recorded top-10 finishes in the event, placing sixth and ninth, respectively.

Sophomore Allison Rollins (Evansville, Indiana) was fourth in the mile with a 5:30.19 finish. Also, freshman Ashley Lawhorn‘s (Frankfort, Kentucky) season-best time of 2:32.08 was good enough for fourth in the 800-meters. Freshman Courtney Parsell (Powell, Ohio) also earned a season-best time in the 200-meters finishing seventh in 29.12 seconds.

As a team, USI came away with 77 points to finish third. Bellarmine University and Depauw University took the first two spots with scores of 91 and 80, respectively. Centre College and Thomas More College rounded out the top-five.

With the conclusion of the indoor regular season, the Eagles now look to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships to be held February 25 & 26 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Aces drop nail-biters to Creighton and Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. – Sophomore Morgan Florey got the job done in the circle and at the plate on Saturday as the University of Evansville softball team gave Creighton and second-ranked Auburn everything it could handle at the Plainsman Invite.

In the opener, it was Creighton scoring a run in the 8^th to earn a 1-0 win while UE dropped a close one to #2 Auburn, 5-3.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way we responded and competed today!  This schedule was built to challenge us early to see what we are made of; and these young women are showing me a lot,” UE head coach Mat Mundell said.  “Good things will come if we keep battling.”

Another defensive battle ensued in the opening game of the day against the Bluejays as the squads combined for six hits on the day.  Evansville had four of them as Bryana Clark threw the complete game.  Florey went the distance for UE, striking out seven while allowing just two hits.

Following 7 ½ scoreless innings, Creighton saw the winning run cross the plate as Aujanae McCoy hit a fielder’s choice to score Mikaela Pechar.

The final game of the day for the Aces saw them battle from adversity.  Auburn scored the first run of the game in the top of the 2^nd inning and added four more in the 4^th with two scoring off of illegal pitches.

Facing that kind of deficit on the field of the second-ranked team in the nation, Evansville battled back with two runs in the fifth.  Bailee Bostic led off with a single and was pinch run for by Deja Shelton.  Shelton crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Chandra Parr.  With two outs, Tess Hupe posted the second run of the game for UE.  Brittany Hay stole second and Hupe wisely made it home on the throw.

Down to its final three outs, the Aces scored once more in the seventh when Hupe scored her second run of the day on a Florey single through the left side.  That is as close as UE would get with Auburn finishing the 5-3 win.

Makayla Martin was credited with the win for the Tigers, going 3 1/3 giving up three hits.  Emily Lockhart took the loss as she gave up five runs, three of them earned, in three frames of action.  Ashleigh Downing went the final four innings, allowing just one Auburn hit.

Sunday will mark the final day of the tournament with the Aces facing Creighton once again at 9:30 a.m.