BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) and junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan) combined for 44 points to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 69-57 victory at Bowling Green State University Saturday afternoon at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Screaming Eagles, who posted their first Division I road win, are 3-3 after tonight’s action, while the Falcons fall to 2-4.
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Simmons posted a team-high 23 points on nine-of-16 from the field, four-of-nine from beyond the arc, and one-of-two from the stripe. Solomon, who scored USI’s first eight points of the second half, posted his 21 points on eight-of-14 from the field, including a three-point bomb, and four-of-four from the stripe.
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Bowling Green had control early, building a six-point lead, 14-8, after six minutes were gone in the game. USI proceeded to go on a 14-7 run to get its first lead of the game, 22-21, at the 8:36 mark of the first half.
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The Eagles and the Falcons would trade buckets and leads until a 9-3 run gave USI a 37-31 advantage. Bowling Green got the final three points on free throws as USI took a 37-34 margin into the break. There were eight lead changes and four ties during the first 20 minutes.
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The final 20 minutes saw Solomon and the Eagles take command of the contest in first three minutes. Solomon scored all eight points of an 8-2 run to give USI a 45-36 lead. The lead quick expanded to double-digits, 48-38, when Simmons hit for a three-pointer with 16:53 to play.
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USI continued to build on the lead, expanding it to as many as 14 points, 69-55, with 1:53 to play before the Falcons got the final bucket for the 69-57 Eagles’ victory.
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As a team, the Eagles forced 16 Falcon turnovers, m
