The University of Southern Indiana shot 50.7 percent from the floor and out-rebounded its opponent 47-26 en route to an 86-68 Senior Night victory over the University of Indianapolis this evening at the Physical Activities Center in Evansville, Indiana. The win pushes the Screaming Eagles' record to 20-6 overall, 13-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Greyhounds fall to 13-11 overall, 9-9 in the GLVC.

Down 20-10, the Eagles reeled off 16 straight points to take a 26-20 lead with 6:53 to play in the first half. Sophomore forward Billy Harris (Carbondale, Illinois) scored seven consecutive points during the run.

USI shot 44.1 percent from the floor in the first period and forced the Greyhounds into just six turnovers. However, the domination the Eagles displayed on the boards paid off for an Eagle squad that finished its 2001-02 home schedule with a 13 straight victories and a 14-1 record at the PAC.

Tied at 29 with 3:42 to play in the first half, the Eagles reeled off three 3-pointers, over the next 2:22 of the contest, to take a 38-31 lead. The Eagles went into the locker room with a 38-33 halftime advantage.

Freshman guard Cris Brunson (Evansville, Indiana) scored 11 points, including two of the three 3-pointers that gave USI the 38-31 lead, in the first frame. The Reitz High School graduate quietly finished the game with a game-high 18 points and five assists.

USI came out of the break with a quick two points, off of the hands of senior forward/center Ronnie Griffin (Louisville, Kentucky), to take a 40-33 lead early in the second stanza. After an exchange of buckets between Griffin and Indianapolis guard Cedric Moodie, the Eagles were off and running again.

The Eagles used a 20-7 run, in a span of seven minutes, to take a commanding 64-46 lead with 11:00 remaining in the contest. USI pushed its lead to as many as 26 points on two different occasions before closing out the 18-point victory.

Unlike last time's contest between these two schools—a thrilling 91-90 win at Indianapolis—the Eagles did not need a last second shot to secure the victory. It was brute force on the boards and hot second-half shooting that got the job done for the Eagles this evening. USI shot 57.1 percent from the field and grabbed 13 more boards than that of Indianapolis in the second half.

For the game, Ronnie Griffin and Billy Harris joined Brunson in double-figures with 15 points apiece. Griffin finished his career at the PAC with a game-high 12 rebounds, 11 of which came on the defensive end.

Harris also collected eight rebounds, finishing up a career-weekend for the sophomore from Carbondale, Illinois. Harris averaged 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in two wins for the Eagles.

Both Griffin and Harris finished with four assists while Harris collected two steals and Griffin racked up two blocks.

Junior forward Diond're Givens (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) also poured in a double-digit scoring performance. Givens racked up 12 points and collected six rebounds in the winning effort.

The Eagles, who have now won 20 games for 10 consecutive seasons, will wrap up their regular season schedule with trips to Bellarmine University and top-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College. USI will be at Bellarmine this Thursday, February 21, and KWC next Saturday, February 23.