@#2 Southern Indiana (1-0): 103
Lincoln (0-2): 73

The 2nd-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team opened the 2003-04 regular season with a 103-73 victory over Lincoln University Saturday evening at the Physical Activities Center. The victory marks the 18th straight season that USI has opened the regular season with a win.

With 103 points Saturday evening, USI also has won 40 straight when going over the century mark.

The key to the Screaming Eagles victory was their team defense in the first half and took a 53-20 lead into the intermission. USI held Lincoln, which falls to 0-2, to just 20 points and 26.9 percent from the field (7-26). The Eagles also forced the Blue Tigers into 12 first half turnovers.

In the second half, the Eagles extended their lead to as many as 40 points, 64-24, before settling for the 103-73 final.

USI was led offensively by senior forward Billy Harris (Carbondale, Illinois), who had a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Harris' 24 points also moved him into a tie for 14th on the USI all-time scoring leaders. He tied Robin Clark, who played from 1985-90, with 1,058.

Senior guard Joe Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida) followed Harris in the USI scoring column Saturday night with 19 points, while junior center Randy Holbrook (St. Louis, Missouri) dropped in 14 points. Senior guard Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, California), who also had nine assists, and freshman guard/forward Geoff Van Winkle (Ferdinand, Indiana) rounded out the USI double-figure scorers with 11 point each.

The next action for the Screaming Eagles will be a men's and women's basketball doubleheader when they host Oakland City University Tuesday, November 25. Game time for the women's game is 5:15 p.m., while the men's game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.