ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rallied but fell short, 83-80, to Lindenwood University Saturday afternoon at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles go to 3-11 overall and 0-4 in the OVC, while the Lions are 10-5, 4-0 OVC.
The first 20 minutes were a rollercoaster ride for the Screaming Eagles, who had to rally from an 11-point deficit, 32-21, with 8:05 in the first half to take a 45-43 lead into the intermission. USI senior guard/forward Steven Clay ignited the 24-9 run with a three-pointer as the Screaming Eagles posted their largest of the half, 45-41, with 32 seconds before the break.
USI shot 69.2 percent during the offensive surge (9-13), including a pair of three-pointers. Senior guard Ismail Habib led the explosion with seven points, while junior forward Tolu Samuels and senior guard Cardell Bailey added five points each.
The USI defense also contributed during the run, holding the Lions to three-of-11 from the field and making three steals.
Lindenwood started the second half with a 10-3 run to take a 51-48 lead before the first media timeout. USI missed on a chance to regain the lead down one, 53-52, before Lindenwood re-extended its margin to 57-52 with 13:41 to play. The Lions would push the USI deficit back to nine points, 73-64.
USI would close the gap to three points with 1:03 left on the clock, 82-79, after back-to-back buckets by junior guard Sheridan Sharp and Samuels. After forcing a shot clock violation by Lindenwood, USI was stopped by the Lions’ defense with 14.9 seconds left. Lindenwood would finish out the game at the free throw line before Sharp missed a late heave from long range for the 83-80 final.
In the box score, USI was led by Sharp and Bailey with 18 points each. Sharp, who posted a season-high, was a blistering seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five from the stripe. Bailey was eight-of-16 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
Samuels followed with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds before fouling out of the game. The junior forward has reached double-digits in the last two games and averaged 14.5 points for the road trip.
Habib rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points. He has reached double-digits in scoring in 12 of USI’s 14 games this season.
Next Up For USI:
USI returns home to Liberty Arena next week to host Southeast Missouri State Thursday and UT Martin Saturday. Both games are set to tip at 7:30 p.m.
