USI rallies for last-second 71-69 victory Campion hits the game-winner with 1.4 left

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USI rallies for last-second 71-69 victory
Campion hits the game-winner with 1.4 left

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Next Game:  at Purdue Fort Wayne 11/16/2024 | 6 p.m. (CST)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana junior guard Jack Campion hit the game-winner with 1.4 seconds on the clock to give the Screaming Eagles a 71-69 victory at Bellarmine University Wednesday evening at Knights Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Screaming Eagles are 1-3 to start the year, while the Knights go to 0-3 in 2024-25.

With the game tied, 69-69, Campion, who had five points, took the ball on the left wing and drove into the top of the key to hit the game-winning pull-up jumper to give USI its first win of the season.

The game started with USI spotting Bellarmine a 6-0 lead, but got the offense rolling to tie the game, 8-8, and take the lead, 10-8, on a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi.  The Eagles would expand the lead to 18-12 when junior guard Jayland Randall hit a running lay-up with 11:46 remaining in the half.

After USI posted its largest lead of the opening half, 21-14, the Knights rallied and got the final jumpers of the half to take a 31-30 advantage into the break.

The second half began with a Bellarmine offensive surge to take a 50-35 lead on a 19-4 run. The Knights would run the margin to 19 points, 56-37, with 10:09 to play in the contest.

USI started the comeback with a 17-2 run, cutting the deficit to 58-54 with 5:59 remaining. The Eagles were six-of-seven from the field, including a pair of three-pointers and three-of-four from the stripe during the second-half explosion. Randall led the way with five points, while Olowoniyi and junior guard Damoni Harrison added four points each during the run.

The Eagles continued to close the gap until Randall knotted the score at 69-69 with 47 seconds left on the clock. USI would hold defensively and set the stage for Campion with 15.6 seconds left.

For the game, Randall led three Eagles in double-digits with 21 points on eight-of-15 from the field, including two from downtown, and three of three from the line. Olowoniyi and Harrison followed with 14 points and 10 points, respectively.

Next Up For USI:
USI concludes the road trip Saturday when USI visits another former GLVC rival Purdue University Fort Wayne. The Mastodons are 1-1 to start the 2024-25 campaign, defeating Bluffton University, 99-47, and falling at the University of Central Florida, 75-68.

Purdue Fort Wayne plays Bethune-Cookman University at home Thursday before hosting USI Saturday.

USI has the upper hand in the all-time series, leading 25-15, but Purdue Fort Wayne has won the last two since the Screaming Eagles moved to Division I. The series, when played in Fort Wayne, is tied 9-9 all-time.

The Eagles return to the friendly home surroundings of Liberty Arena November 22 when they host the University of South Dakota.

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