EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball stumbled in the final three minutes and lost to Eastern Illinois University, 81-71, Thursday evening in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles fall to 6-18 overall and 3-8 in OVC play, while the Panthers are 11-13 overall, 5-6 OVC.
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The Eagles needed the first four minutes of game to get the offense jump started before sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) hit a three-point bomb to shrink a five-point deficit to two, 5-3, with 16:15 left on the first half clock. The three-pointer ignited a 15-8 run to take the lead, 15-13, with 10:33 before halftime.
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EIU would regain the lead and raced to a halftime margin of 31-27, getting a bucket in the final seconds before the break. Sophomore guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) led the Eagle scores during the first 20 minutes with six points.
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In the second half, USI grabbed the momentum and outscored EIU, 13-3, to jump into the lead, 40-34, with 14:33 remaining. Junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) led the run with five of the 13 points, while the Eagles as a team were four-of-nine from the field and four-of-five from the stripe during the offensive surge.
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The Panthers battled back to even the score at 40-40 before the Eagles exploded on a 10-2 to lead by eight, 50-42, with 12:11 remaining. Campion led the charge with six of the 10 points that gave USI its largest margin to that point.
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USI’s offense, however, would go cold for the next 3:45 as EIU raced by the Eagles to lead, 53-51, with 8:00 on the clock after an 11-1 dash. The teams post a combined 10 ties and lead changes over the next six minutes until EIU grabbed a 66-61 lead with 2:36 to play.
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The Eagles shrank the gap to three, 66-63, with 2:30 to play on a layup by Campion, but that would be as close they would come the rest of the game. The Panther extended the final lead to as many as 12 before the Eagles got the final bucket of the game in the 81-71 decision.
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USI had three players in double-digits, led by Campion’s career-high 20 points. The sophomore guard was seven-of-11 from the field, four-of-seven from beyond the arc, and two of two from the stripe to mark his first collegiate 20-point game.
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USI sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) followed with his 10th double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Mielke rounded out the double-figure scorers for USI by dropping in 10 points.
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