EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 10th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team lost a hard fought game to fourth-ranked Northwest Missouri State University, 74-66, Saturday night in the finale of the Bill Joergens Memorial Tournament. USI falls to 2-2, while NWMS goes to 5-0 for the season.

The Screaming Eagles controlled most of first 30 minutes of the contest, building a 14 point first half lead. USI, who led 43-32 at the intermission, would post leads to 12 points twice in the second half before NWMS started to chip away.

The Bearcats used a 14-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 52-50, with 10:22 to play. The Eagles would come back to retake the lead briefly at 57-56, only to see the Bearcats rebound to take over the lead for good at 58-57 with 5:46 left.

NWMS survived late charges by USI by hitting five free throws in the final minute to seal the 74-66 win.

USI was led by sophomore guard Darren Cloud (Evansville, Indiana), who led the Eagles with 24 points. Cloud was seven-of-14 from the field, including six three-point field goals.

Eagles' junior forward Anthony Pimble (Bronx, New York) followed Cloud with 16 points, while senior guard Tyson Schnitker (Robinson, Illinois) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 points.

The Eagles and Bearcats were tied on the board with 33 each. USI senior forward Norman Plummer (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded his fourth straight double-digit game on the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds.

The next action for the Eagles will be at Kentucky Wesleyan College on December 1 to tip-off the GLVC schedule. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Following the USI-KWC conference game, the Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the PAC for a second four-game homestand. The homestand begins December 8 with USI hosting Ohio Valley University at 3:15 p.m.