EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball comes home to Screaming Eagles Arena this week to host a pair of Ohio Valley Conference matchups. The Screaming Eagles begin the two-game homestand Thursday by hosting Tennessee State University and concludes the week Saturday versus Tennessee Tech University.
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Tipoff time for both games is set for 7:30 p.m. Fans can track your Eagles all season by visiting the schedule on USIScreamingEagles.com for links to follow all of the action on the ESPN+, ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com), and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com/).
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Thursday’s USI-TSU game is Fan Appreciation Night at Screaming Eagles Arena. The first 500 get a voucher for free hot dog and first 300 USI foam #1 finger.Â
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USI (4-11, 1-1 OVC) split the first weekend of conference play. The Eagles opened OVC action by losing a heartbreaker at Southeast Missouri State University, 93-91, in overtime before posting a strong road win at Lindenwood University, 73-62. Junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) led the teams to the split by averaging 25.5 points and 23.0 points per contest. Smith also grabbed a team-best 10.0 rebounds per game during the first weekend of league play.
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Through 15 games of the season, Hernandez leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Smith follows with 13.2 points and a team-best 9.6 rebounds per outing, while posting a team-high six double-doubles.
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The Tigers of TSU (8-7, 1-1 OVC) also split the first league weekend at home, losing the OVC opener to the University of Tennessee at Martin, 91-75, before rebounding to defeat the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 90-82. TSU is 2-4 in the last six games, 1-2 in the last three.
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USI and TSU split the season series with each winning on the other home court. TSU took the opening game at Screaming Eagles Arena, 80-76, while USI got even with the Tigers, 93-81, in the regular season finale last year in Nashville, Tennessee.
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TTU (5-10, 0-2 OVC), which is also 2-4 in the last six games, started conference action at home with an 81-75 loss to Little Rock and an 81-73 loss to UT Martin. The Golden Eagles took both meetings with USI last year, winning in Cookeville, Tennessee, 84-69, and at Screaming Eagles Arena, 82-79.
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Tickets for the TSU and TTU games are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the USI Ticket Office on-line. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.
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