University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball battled to the last minute, but fell to Southern Illinois University Saturday afternoon at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles, whose winning streak stopped at three, are 4-5 overall this season, while the Salukis go to 4-6.
USI and SIU battled back and forth through the first 20 minutes of the game before the Salukis grabbed a 37-34 lead at the intermission. The half featured 13 combined ties and lead changes between the two teams.
The Eagles’ largest run of the half was 7-0 to snag a 28-27 lead with 2:53 left in the half, while the largest margin was three points, 11-8. USI sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi was the Eagles’ main offensive threat, scoring 20 of 34 first-half points.
The second half started much like the first half with the Eagles and the Salukis trading buckets until a three-point bucket by junior guard Jayland Randall put the Eagles up one, 46-45, with 14:58 left. The Salukis would respond to take back the lead and would lead by as many as eight, 62-54, with a 17-8 burst after the 10-minute mark.
USI would battle back to cut the deficit to 69-67 after a pair of Olowoniyi free throws and 72-70 on a three-pointer by Randall, but a SIU bucket and two free throws in the final 10 seconds would seal the Eagles’ fate 73-70. SIU also won the important battle of the glass, 35-24.
Olowoniyi was limited to four points in the second half and finished with a team-high and career-high 24 points. He was 10-of-11 from the field and four-of-five from the stripe.
Randall joined Olowoniyi in double-digits with 22 points, two short of a career-best. He was eight-of-14 from the field, three-of-three from downtown, and three-of-four from the stripe.
Next Up For USI:
USI begins a four-game homestand, its longest of the season, by hosting Shawnee State University December 15 at Liberty Arena. The homestand also includes the start of Ohio Valley Conference action with games versus Tennessee State University (December 19); the University of Tennessee at Martin (December 21), and Morehead State University (December 31).
