BOX SCORE: USI 103, SJC 77 | Photo Gallery
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The 10th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team
made it a “baker's dozen” to start the season after posting a 103-77 victory over Saint Joseph's College Monday evening at the Physical Activities Center. USI takes its record to 13-0 overall and 4-0 in the GLVC, while SJC falls to 6-6 overall, 0-4 GLVC.
The 13-0 start is three victories short of tying USI's best overall start of 16-0 in 2000-01 and four wins short of the team record of 17 in a row at the end of 2004-05 campaign. The win also extends the USI record streak of six consecutive games of scoring 100-or-more points.
The Screaming Eagles never trailed the Pumas in the contest and were only tied once, 5-5, with 17:05 left in the first half. USI used an 11-0 run to take control of the contest and then hit the gas with a 14-3 run near the end of the first 20 minutes to put the game out of reach by halftime.
After going into the intermission with a 48-32 lead, the Eagles emerged from the locker room to methodically build a 27-point advantage, 65-38, with 14:02 left the in the game. The Pumas cut the lead to 15 points on a pair of occasions, but that would be as close a they would get.
USI recorded its largest lead of the game, 28 points, with 48 seconds to play, 103-75, before settling for the 26-point victory, 103-77.
Senior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois), the GLVC Player of the Week, led the way in the game with a game-high 23 points. He was seven-of-12 from the field, including three field goals from beyond the three-point arc, and six-of-eight from the charity stripe.
Following in the scoring column was senior center Jeron Smith (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), who recorded his third double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio) was third on the team with 15 points, while junior guard #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
USI goes on the road for the next three contests and seven of the next eight games The Eagles start their first conference road trip of the year at Missouri University of Science & Technology Thursday at 7:30 p.m., followed by their first trip to Maryville University Saturday at 3:15 p.m. The third and final game of the road trip is in Owensboro, Kentucky, when the Eagles play the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan College on January 14.
The next home date for USI is January 16 when Quincy University visits the PAC.
FAN NOTE: The USI-SJC men's and women's basketball games will be televised tape-delayed Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WTSN, digital channel 36 (Insight Cable 186; Time Warner Cable 14).
