USI stymied by Ft. Wayne, 83-59

FT. WAYNE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball offense was stymied by Purdue University Ft. Wayne, 83-59, to conclude the Indiana Classic Tuesday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The Eagles finish non-conference action with a 7-6 mark after tonight’s action, while the Mastodons are 9-4.
 
USI was cold from the field in the first 20 minutes, while Ft. Wayne had the hot hand. The Mastodons led by 19 at the intermission, 44-25, after shooting 54.8 percent from the field (17-31) and dropped in 10 three-point field goals.
 
The Eagles was cold in the opening half, hitting just 35.7 percent from the field (10-28) despite the 12-point contribution by sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana).
 
In second half, the Mastodon defense continued to thwart the USI offense, holding the Eagles to 35.3 percent (12-34), and go on to post the 83-59 final.
 
Individually for USI, Swope finished with a team-high 17 points to lead the Eagles in double-digits. The sophomore guard was seven-of-12 from the field, three-of-five from beyond the arc, for his 17 points.
 
Senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) followed with 14 points on five-of-12 from the field, three-of-seven from long range, and one-of-two from the stripe. Graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points on three three-pointers and two free throws.
 
Next Up 2022-23:
USI begins Ohio Valley Conference action after Christmas when it hosts Southeast Missouri State University December 29 at Screaming Eagles Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
The games will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
 
SEMO is 5-7 overall in the non-conference portion of the season but is in the middle of a six-game losing streak. The Redhawks will be looking to snap the slide Wednesday when they host Southern Illinois University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
USI trails the all-time series with SEMO, 3-2, and lost the last meeting in the NCAA Division II Central Regional, 91-73, in 1990 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.
 
The Eagles will finish its first weekend of OVC action on the road when they visit Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. The Panthers, who visit the University of Iowa Wednesday and host Lindenwood University December 29 prior to hosting USI, are 3-9 this season.
 
USI leads the all-time series, 2-1, winning the last two regular season matchups in the 1980 The Eagles defeated the Panthers on the road, 72-70, in 1980-81, and at home, 81-78, in the 1982-83 season. EIU took the first ever meeting, 79-67 in the 1978 NCAA II Great Lakes Regional.  
 
USI captured a road exhibition game, 95-92, in the 2017-18 season in the last meeting between the two programs.