USI is on the road to WIU, Lindenwood
University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball is on the road this week and will be chasing a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship next month. The Screaming Eagles start the final six games of the 2024-25 regular season with a visit to Western Illinois University Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and to Lindenwood University Saturday at 2 p.m.
USI (9-15, 4-10 OVC) enters the week two games back of the final spot for the OVC Championship. The Eagles are trailing the University of Tennessee at Martin and Lindenwood, who are each 6-8 in the league this season and tied seventh, while Tennessee Tech University and Tennessee State University are tied for fifth with identical 8-6 conference records.
USI is coming off a tough homestand that saw the Eagles go 0-3, including a 74-56 loss to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a 79-74 defeat at the hands of Southeast Missouri State University. Junior guard Damoni Harrison led USI last week with 19 points per game, including a 25-point game in the loss to SEMO.
Junior guard Jayland Randall followed Harrison with 18.5 points per contest after posting 23 against SEMO, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi posted 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Olowoniyi posted his team-high fourth double-double of the season, 14 points and 10 rebounds, to close out the homestand Saturday.
For the season, Harrison leads the team with 14.9 points per outing, while Randall was second with 14.8 per game. Olowoniyi rounds out the double-figure scorers with 13.8 points per game and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest.
The WIU Leathernecks (8-17 overall, 2-12 OVC) have lost 10-straight after Saturday’s 80-71 loss at the University of Tennessee at Martin. WIU has not won since January 9.
WIU leads the all-time series, 5-2, after USI won at Liberty Arena in January, 78-66. Harrison led four Eagles in double digits with 26 points. Graduate forward Jack Mielke followed with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Randall and Olowniyi rounded out the top four with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
The Lions of Lindenwood (11-13 overall, 6-7 OVC) went 0-2 last week. Lindenwood, who hosts Morehead State University Thursday, is 2-3 in the last five games, but .500 over the last 10 contests.
The Eagles lead the all-time series, 8-1, after taking the first meeting of the year in January, 80-73. Harrison led three players in double-digits with 26 points and 10
Rebounds in the win. He was followed by Randall, who had 17 points, and Mielke, who had 10 points.
All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
