Randall scores 24 in USI win
Screaming Eagles post 92-83 win to start homestand
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior guard Jayland Randall scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 92-83 victory over the University of South Dakota Friday evening at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles are 2-4 to start the year, while the Coyotes go to 5-2 in 2024-25.
After the teams traded buckets and runs for the first nine minutes, USI attempted to take command with an 8-2 run to lead, 22-17, with 9:34 left in the first half. Four different players scored during the run as the Eagles were four-of-seven from the field.
The Coyotes narrowed the margin to one, 22-21, when the Eagles used another 7-0 dash, which included an old fashion three-point play by junior guard Jack Campion, to regain control, 29-21. USI would extend the 7-0 dash to a 13-5 sprint for a 35-26 advantage with 3:40 left. Junior guard Damoni Harrison led the way during the 13-5 run with four points.
USI closed out the half with its first halftime lead of the season, 41-35. Randall paced the Eagles during the first 20 minutes with 13 points, while USI, as a team, shot 50 percent from the field (18-36).
The start of the second half belonged to the Eagles as they extended the halftime advantage to 14 points, 57-43, by outscoring the Coyotes, 16-8, through the first six minutes to take command. Junior guard Jared Washington led USI with five of the 16-point dash.
USD, however, would close the gap to five points three times in the final two minutes before USI closed out the 92-83 victory. The Eagles led by as many as 16 points (75-69, 8:04) in the second half.
USI finished the game with a season-high 92 points with four players in double-digits. Randall led the way with his career-high 24 points on nine-of-15 from the field, three-of-six from long range, and three-of-four from the line. The junior guard has five double-digit scoring games this season with two over 20 points.
Washington followed Randall in the scoring column with 16 points on a blistering six-of-10 from the field, two-of-three from beyond the arc, and two-of-three from the line. Sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi added 14 points on seven field goals, while graduate forward Jack Mielke rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, including four free throws that iced the win in the final 30 seconds.
As a team, USI shot a season-high 52.9 percent from the field (36-68), 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (8-18), and had a season-high 20 assists. Campion led USI with a career-high and team-best nine assists in the win.
Next Up For USI:
USI continues its three-game homestand at Liberty Arena Monday night when the Screaming Eagles host the Sycamores of Indiana State University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game is sponsored by HFI. The USI-ISU game is also the Eagles’ annual Hawaiian Night with fans encouraged to wear tropical attire.
The Sycamores are 3-2 to start the 2024-25 season after defeating Chicago State University, 97-61, this evening in Terre Haute. Indiana State has won three of its last four after tonight’s game.
The series is tied, 1-1, following ISU’s 98-54 win last season in Terre Haute. Jeremiah_Hernandez led USI with 16 points, while A.J. Smith added 12 points in the loss.
The Eagles won the first-ever meeting at Liberty Arena (then Screaming Eagles Arena) in 2022, 88-85, in overtime during USI’s first season in Division I.
