The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team will continue its search for its first road win of the season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference after it fell 76-69 to Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, Thursday night. USI falls to 7-4 overall and 2-3 in the GLVC, while Lewis goes to 10-1 overall, 4-1 GLVC.

The difference in the game was the long-range shooting of the Flyers in the second half. Lewis hit seven-of-eight three-points field goals in the second stanza, including five straight down the stretch to take the lead for good. The Eagles also did not contain Lewis' senior guard Stan Strong, who scored 25 points after coming into the contest with a 7.7 ppg average.

The Flyers, who were only 2-11 in the first half from long-range, bounced back each time the Eagles built a lead. USI had leads of eight points twice in the first half and nine points in the second half.

"They made the shot when they needed it," said USI head coach Rick Herdes. "We had four or five looks (at the basket) at point blank range and it just would not go in. I thought we played very hard, but you have to control the basketball and not turn it over. When you turn the ball over 25 times, you will get beat."

The Eagles, who led for most of the game and 32-28 at the intermission, were led by senior forward Diond're Givens (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) with 17 points. A positive for USI was its production off the bench with senior guard/forward Alan Goff (Terre Haute, Indiana), junior forward Billy Harris (Carbondale, Illinois), and sophomore forward Dennis Coutee (Jeffersonville, Indiana) scoring 10 points each.

"We did a good job on the rotations tonight," said Herdes. "We were able to sub five at a time until we got into foul trouble."

USI will resume GLVC action Saturday, January 4, when it visits Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a 3:15 p.m. contest. The Eagles return to the friendly confines of the Physical Activities Center Thursday, January 9, when they host the University of Missouri-St. Louis to begin a three-game homestand.