EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior forward Aaron Nelson (Chicago Heights, Indiana) had a double-double by half time and led the 17th-ranked Screaming Eagles to an 83-55 victory over Maryville University Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. USI rises to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Maryville falls to 11-4 overall, 1-2 GLVC.
Nelson finished the contest with a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds after posting the double-double by intermission, 10 points and 10 rebounds. The first half double-double was the first by an Eagle since Chris Thompson had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half of USI’s February 25, 2006, game with the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Three other Eagles joined Nelson in reaching double-digits in the scoring. Junior forward Orlando Rutledge (Louisville, Kentucky) was second on the team with 12 points, while senior guard Travis Jones (Carmi, Illinois) and junior guard Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Jones scored all of his points in a span of four minutes, hitting three-of-three from beyond the three-point arc and four-of-four overall.
On the glass, USI senior center Keith DeWitt (High Point, North Carolina) continued to help the Eagles control the boards. DeWitt posted a third double-digit rebound game since returning from knee surgery, grabbing 11 today against Maryville.
In the game, USI took control early with an 8-0 run to start the contest. The Eagles would lead by as many as 20 points, 36-16, in the opening 20 minutes before going into the locker room at halftime with a 17-point, 42-25 advantage.
The second half saw the Eagles continue to increase the distance between themselves and the Saints, building a 29-point lead, 80-51, with 2:15 to play. Maryville sliced into the margin in the final minutes before USI closed out the 28-point, 83-55 win.
As a team, USI outrebounded Maryville, 47-17, and shot 57.1 percent from the field (32-56). The Eagles were hot from the field in the first half, hitting 60 percent (18-30) of their shots.
The victory gives the Eagles a sweep of their three-game homestand as they remain a perfect 7-0 at the PAC.
USI goes on the road in the GLVC next week, traveling January 10 to the University of Illinois-Springfield and January 12 to Quincy University. Tip-off next Thursday at UIS is 7:30 p.m., while the start time at Quincy is set for 3:15 p.m.
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