#5 Southern Indiana (23-4, 18-2 GLVC): 73
@Bellarmine (9-18, 4-16 GLVC): 59

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 5th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team concluded the 2004-05 regular season on a 13-game winning streak with a 73-59 win over Bellarmine University Saturday night in Louisville, Kentucky. USI goes to 23-4 overall and 18-2 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine finishes the season 9-18 overall, 4-16 GLVC.

The 13-game winning streak is the second longest since the school-record 16 straight wins in 2000-01.

The Screaming Eagles will begin its post-season schedule March 3 as the top seed in the GLVC Tournament at Roberts Stadium. USI will play eighth-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis in the first round Thursday at 6 p.m.

Trailing 15-12 in the first half, the Eagles used an 11-0 run to take an eight point lead, 23-15, before the Knights made a run of their own. Bellarmine bounced back on a 19-4 run to take a 34-29 lead when USI took control of the game and the lead at the intermission 38-36.

In the second half, the difference between the two teams was the USI defense. The Eagles' defense held the Knights' offense to just eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. On the offensive side, USI extended its lead to as many as 16 points, 63-47, with four minutes to play.

The 59 points allowed by USI marked the eighth time during the winning streak that the Eagles have held the opposition to 60 points or less.

USI senior guard Cris Brunson (Evansville, Indiana) concluded the 2004-05 regular season with a 19 point performance, while senior center Reque Newsome (St. Petersburg, Florida) dropped in 18 points. Junior forward Chris Thompson (Starke, Florida) led USI on the boards with 11 rebounds, the 14 double-figure rebound game of the season.