at Evansville: 71
Southern Indiana: 67 (2 ot)
Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—In a game that saw six lead changes, the University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team fell to the University of Evansville, 71-67, in double overtime Saturday evening in the third Vectren Community Classic exhibition game Saturday night at Roberts Stadium.

Senior guard Anthony Pimble (Bronx, New York), who finished the game with 15 points, hit 3-of-4 free throw attempts in the second overtime period to give the Screaming Eagles a 65-61 lead with three minutes to play.

Lay-ups by UE freshman forward James Haarsma and senior guard Jason Holsinger evened the score at 65 less than a minute later, but the Eagles would retake the lead with less than two minutes to play on a pair of free throws by junior forward Brandon Russ (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Holsinger, however, connected on a three-pointer in the Purple Aces' next possession to give UE its first lead of the second overtime.

The Eagles failed to score on the following possession, giving the Aces a chance to extend their lead. UE senior forward Shy Ely, who had a game-high 24 points, 17 of which came after halftime, hit a bucket with less than 40 seconds to play to give the Aces a 70-67 lead.

USI had a chance to tie the contest, but a three-pointer by junior guard Marvin Gray (Freeport, Bahamas) rimmed out and UE's sophomore guard Lacey Kavon collected the rebound before being fouled. Kavon connected on his first free throw attempts to seal the victory for the Aces.

Earlier in the contest, the Eagles overcame a scoring drought that lasted the first eight minutes of the game to go into the break with a 29-25 halftime advantage. USI trailed by as many as 11 points in the first period, but a 14-3 run pulled the Eagles into a 16-16 tie with 6:29 to play in the first half.

After UE began the second period with a 6-0 run to retake the lead, the Eagles bounced back with a 10-2 spurt to build 39-33 cushion. The Eagles built their lead to as many as eight points at two different spots in the last 10 minutes of regulation and had a 55-49 lead with less than three minutes to play.

The Aces, however, battled back with an 8-2 run to tie the contest at 57 with less than 15 seconds to play in regulation. Senior guard Kenny Love (South Bend, Indiana) and Pimble each missed shots in the final 10 seconds that would have ended the contest in USI's favor.

It was USI that battled back from a three-point deficit in the first overtime. Russ, who had all of USI's four points in the first overtime, hit a jumper with 1:46 to play to tie the contest at 61. USI had a defensive stand in the final 10 seconds to force a second overtime.

In addition to his 15 points, Pimble grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, while Russ added 15 points and six rebounds. Love rounded out the Eagles' double-figure scorers with 10 points.

The Eagles open the regular season Friday at 11 a.m. (CST) when they take on St. Martin's University in the first round of the Disney Division II Tip-off Classic in Orlando, Florida.