The 15th-ranked University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball lost a heartbreaker in the final minute to Quincy University, 96-92, Thursday night at the Physical Activities Center. USI, which saw its season-best winning streak snapped at eight games, watched its record fall to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Quincy rises to 11-4, 5-1 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles held a 10-point lead, 85-75, with 7:24 to play when the Hawks mounted a rally and outscored USI, 21-7, in the final seven minutes. USI held the lead for over 19 minutes in the second half only to see Quincy regain the lead for the first time since the first half, 92-91, with 44 seconds left.
USI had four more possessions left in the final minute, but was only able to come away with one free throw as Quincy closed out the 96-92 victory.
The Eagles came out firing in the opening half and led 53-48 at the break. USI shot a blistering 61.3 percent from the field (19-31), 63.6 percent from beyond the arc (7-11), during the first 20 minutes.
Junior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) led USI’s opening-half barrage of shots with 22 points on a sizzling seven-of-eight and a perfect five-of-five from extreme long range, while sinking three-of-four from the charity stripe. Junior guard Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky) followed Drummond in the scoring column during the first half with 10 points.
USI was able to post the five-point halftime advantage on a 6-0 run following back-to-back three-point bombs by Drummond. The Eagles led by as many as eight points in the opening 20 minutes, 41-33, while the Hawks were able to force three ties and nine lead changes.
The second half also started by going the Eagles way as they posted a pair of 10-point leads, 58-48 and 61-51, on three-pointers by senior forward Shane Seniour (Newburgh, Indiana) and Taylor. The lead would shrink back to single-digits for the next 10 minutes until the Hawks erased the Eagles’ margin with their game-winning run.
Individually in the scoring column, Drummond led all USI scorers with 25 points. The junior guard finished the contest eight-of-12 from the field, six-of-seven from beyond the arc, and three-of-four from the free throw line.
Taylor followed with 20 points, leading USI scorers with 10 second-half points. Stein and senior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) rounded out USI’s double-digit scorers with 17 points and 15 points respectively. Edwards also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the year.
USI concludes its two-game homestand Saturday at 3:15 p.m. when it hosts Truman State University. The Bulldogs fell to 12-4 overall and 4-2 in the GLVC after a stumbling at ninth-ranked Bellarmine University, 86-57, tonight in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Eagles lead the all-time series with Truman State, 2-1, after posting an 81-70 victory at the PAC last year. Drummond led the way for USI in the victory at the PAC with 23 points.
Following the two-game homestand, the Eagles begin a three-game road-swing Monday when they visit Bellarmine for a 7 p.m. (CST) match-up. In addition to the Bellarmine contest, USI is slated to visit Lewis University (January 21) and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (January 23).
