The 12th-ranked and third-seeded University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker in the Great Lakes Valley Conference quarterfinals to sixth-seeded Truman State University, 69-68, Thursday evening at the Ford Center. USI watches its record go to 25-4 overall, while Truman goes to 22-8 overall.
With the loss, the Screaming Eagles will have to wait until Sunday night to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. The Eagles entered the GLVC Tournament play as the third ranked team in the region with the top eight teams advancing to the national tournament.
In a rough and tumble first half, Truman had a 33-30 lead by the intermission. The first 20 minutes feature amazing 11 lead changes and 7 ties as both teams were a combined 35.7 percent from the field (20-56).
USI, which did not connect from beyond the arc in the first half (0-10), was led by junior forward Julius Rajala (Finland) and senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky), who had 10 points each. Rajala, who had the first six points for the Eagles, reached double-digits for the first time since his broken finger since sideline him in January.
Truman surged out to an 11-point lead, 41-30, with a 6-0 run to start the first three minutes of the second half. USI sophomore Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) scored eight points over seven minutes and ignited a 17-4 run by the Eagles to regain the lead, 47-45, with 10:11 to play. The Eagles would extend the two point lead to five, 54-49, with 7:17 left, but the Bulldogs recovered with a 9-4 run to tie the game, 58-58.
The final four minutes would see five ties and five lead changes with USI leading by a bucket twice before Truman scored the final three points of the with three seconds remain to come away with the 68-68 victory. Overall, the game featured a total of 17 lead changes and 15 ties.
USI shot better in the final half, hitting 59.1 percent from the field (13-22) and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc (3-7), but could not overcome the 32.3 percent from the field (10-31) in the first half and 17 turnovers in the game. The Eagles did win the battle of the glass, 45-21.
Individually, Rajala led the three Eagles in double figures with 20 points. The junior forward was eight-of-11 form the field and four-of-four from the line in his third 20-point game of the season.
Stein and Taylor followed Rajala in the scoring column with 13 points each. Taylor also produced his eighth double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds.
The USI Board of Trustees also approved the conferral of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Linda E. White, president and CEO of Deaconess Health System. The degree will be presented at the Spring 2017 Commencement Graduate Ceremony on Friday, April 28.
