USI falls short in a defensive battle with SIUE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball lost a defensive battle with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 68-54, in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday evening at the Ford Center. The Screaming Eagles, the seventh seed, go to 16-16 overall, while the Cougars advance with a 19-13 mark. 
 
USI spotted SIUE an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes before the Eagles rallied to tie the game, 8-8, after a pair of three-point buckets by sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana). The Cougars responded by retaking the lead, 12-8, with four-straight points.
 
SIUE would post 23-18 lead with 5:55 left in the opening half when USI held the Cougars scoreless for 4:44 and took the lead 25-23 on five-straight points by junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York).
 
After trading buckets, the Eagles took a 30-29 lead into the intermission after Swope connected on his third three-point bomb of the half. The sophomore guard finished the half with a team-best 11 points.
 
The USI offense sputtered in the first 10 minutes of the second half, going one-of-12 in the first eight minutes, and fell behind 46-33. The Eagles came to life with a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 48-45 with 7:20 to play in the contest, but that would be as close as they would come the rest of the game.
 
SIUE got back on track and held USI scoreless for the next 2:30 as the Cougars methodically pulled away and closed the door on the 68-54 final. The 54 points were the lowest scoring game of the year for the Eagles, who shot 29.2 percent from the field (19-65).
 
Individually, Swope led three Eagles in double-digits with 15 points. He was five-of-15 from the field, including the three first-half three-pointers.

Henry followed with 11 points, while senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) led USI on the boards with 20 rebounds, his sixth game with 20 or more.
 
USI played well defensively, holding SIUE to 37.3 percent from the field (19-51) and forcing 13 turnovers.