TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball was grounded by Indiana State University, 98-54, Saturday afternoon at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles slide to 2-9 after today’s action, while the Sycamores are 9-1 this season.
 
The first half was rough for the Eagles as the Sycamores bombed USI with 18 first half field goals, eight from long range, and led at halftime, 52-25. USI got scoring from five different players, led by junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) with eight points.
 
USI struggled to find any offense in the first five minutes of the second half, starting the final 20 minutes one-of-12 from the field. The Eagles would finish the half 10-of-34 (29.4 percent) and 21-of-58 for the game.
 
Indiana State would post a nearly identical half to the first, outscoring USI, 46-29, in the final 20 minutes.
 
Individually, Hernandez and sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) led the Eagles in scoring with 16 points and 12 points, respectively. Junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) led USI on the boards with six.   
 
Next Up For USI:
USI will be idle next week before returning to action December 19 when it hosts the University of Saint Francis (Illinois) at Screaming Eagles Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Saint Francis is 2-4 overall and visiting Indiana University South Bend this afternoon. The Fighting Saints also are scheduled to play an exhibition game at Lewis University December 14 before coming to USI.

The Eagles conclude the non-conference portion of the 2023-24 schedule December 22 when they visit Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis, who currently are 6-2 overall, have Austin Peay State University (December 12), Wichita State University (December 16), and North Dakota State University (December 19) on the schedule before hosting the Eagles.

Evansville, Ind.- A group of 37 freshmen made up the Screaming Eagles Swimming and Diving roster last season in the first year of the program looking to make a splash. The season brought its share of ups and downs for the Eagles as you might expect.

In year two, the program has developed more confidence and experience. Both squads placed fifth in the ultra-competitive A3 Performance Invitational in their last meet at Southern Illinois University.

The women’s squad took down Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois University. This marks the third win against Valparaiso this season and the first win in program history against conference rival Eastern Illinois University.

The men’s squad edged Valparaiso for the second time this season in the A3 Performance Invitational. USI men scored 147 more points than they did last season at the invite.

Both squads accounted for 20 school records, 140 individual season bests, and 29 lifetime bests.

“With so many season and lifetime bests, it showed that the team is doing a lot of great things in and out of the pool. I’m proud of how each meet has gotten better and better in this fashion. For us to continue the climb at this meet and fight hard all the way through the last relay on day three, it showed the resiliency and love this team has,” said head coach Cameron Kainer about his overall thoughts on the A3 Performance Invitational.

When asked about what the A3 invite meant for the team going forward, Kainer said “I thought our performance at A3 really gave us some strong motivation for the rest of the season. We had a lot of A and B Finals swims, which will prepare us for what’s to come at Summit Champs in February. I think there is continued motivation for those outside of Top 16 placings and for relay spots, but overall it showed how positively things are progressing for us.”

What’s Ahead for the Eagles
USI takes two months off to train and prepare for the second half of the season. The Eagles will host a men’s diving only event against the University of Evansville on January 13. Then, both squads will compete against Rose-Hulman University at the USI Aquatic Center on January 27.

The Eagles hit the road to take on Quincy University, Eastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago (diving only) to conclude the regular season. This leads up to the Summit League Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 21-24.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer announced the addition of sophomore midfielder Emerson Grafton to the roster for the 2024 season.

Grafton, sister of USI defender Charli Grafton (Sunriver, Oregon), is a transfer who spent her first two collegiate seasons at Idaho State University. The Camas, Washington native is the 11^th signing for the Screaming Eagles and Head Coach Eric Schoenstein ahead of the 2024 campaign.

“We are excited to welcome Emerson to the USI Soccer family,” Schoenstein said. “Emerson is a crafty midfielder, who brings a great deal of toughness and Division I experience.”

From 2022 to 2023, Grafton totaled 24 starts in 35 appearances and over 2,000 minutes played. The 5’6″ attacker scored two goals with 25 shots and 14 shots on target.

Before Idaho State, Grafton was a four-time all-state selection in high school. Plus, she was all-state in cross country and a state champion in track and field.