USI posts win in national television debut Eagles snap losing streak, get back on track

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball won its national television debut with a 74-67 victory over the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Thursday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles go to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in the OVC, while Trojans are 5-13, 1-4 OVC.  

The game was televised on ESPNU and in front of an announced crowd of 2296.    USI soared out of the gate to start the game, building a 10-3 lead before three minutes were gone in the game. Sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) led the charge with eight points on three-of-four, including a pair from downtown.  
 
The Trojans would overcome a slow start and rally to take a 23-19 lead on a 14-3 run. Little Rock was able to shut down the USI offense for over four minutes and held the Eagles to one-of- seven during the drought.  
 
After falling behind 25-20, the Eagles exploded on a 17-4 surge to regain the lead, 37-29, when senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) slammed the ball home for his ninth point of the run. USI reversed its fortunes from the outside during the five-minute surge with seven-of-nine from the outside.   
 
The Eagles and the Trojans would trade buckets and free throws in the final minutes of the opening half as USI took a 40-36 lead into the intermission. Swope and Polakovich led the first half action for the Eagles with 13 points and 11 points, respectively. 
 
Following a Little Rock sprint to regain the lead, USI graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) outscored the Trojans, 9-2, on a trio of three-point bombs to put the Eagles up, 54-48, with 14:00 to play. Little Rock would rally to knot the game at 59-59 with 7:07 to play on a 9-1 wave of points.  
 
USI responded with 10-4 dash to regain the momentum, 69-63 with 3:19 left on the clock. The Trojans tried to come back, 70-67, but Swope would put a dagger through the hoop from 25 feet and no time on the shot clock to put the lead back to six, 73-67, and sealed the victory, 74-67, with a free throw 31 ticks left on the clock.  
 
In the scoring column, Lakes scored 17 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 22 points. He was six-of-eight from the field in the final 20 minutes, five-of-seven from beyond the arc.  
 
Polakovich finished with 16 points on a blistering seven-of-10 from the field and a pair of free throws, while Swope had 19 points on five-of-13 from the field, four-of-seven from long range, and five-of-seven from the stripe.  
 
The Eagles won the game on the glass, outrebounding the Trojans, 46-34, with Polakovich (14) and Lakes (10) combining for 24 of the boards. The double-double was Polakovich’s sixth and Lakes third of the season.  
 
Next Up For USI: 
USI concludes a three-game homestand Saturday when it hosts the University of Tennessee at Martin for a 7;30 p.m. OVC contest at Screaming Eagles Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin. 
 
UT Martin saw its record go to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the OVC after defeating Tennessee State University, 77-66, this evening on the road. The Skyhawks were led by sophomore guard Jordan Sears with 21 points.  
 
UT Martin has three players in double-digits for 2022-23, led by graduate guard Parker Stewart with 17.1 points per game. 
 
Saturday’s matchup will be the ninth meeting in the history of the series with UT Martin leading 5-3 since the 1970-71 season. The Skyhawks won the last meeting with the Eagles in 1992, but USI has won three of the last five matchups. USI is 3-2 at home, while UT Martin is 3-0 when hosting the Eagles.